On a Pale Horse
by Rally Collins
Summary: A Gundam Wing and Heralds of Valdemar Crossover. A mysterious book transports Shinigami to the squeaky clean country of Valdemar, but is he a godsend or a harbinger of doom?
1. Death Has a Mossy Aftertaste

Author: Rally  
Date: November 28, 2006

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

**On A Pale Horse**  
-Death Has a Mossy Aftertaste-

Duo pulled his hand away from his middle and grimaced. His fingers were shiny with a slick red substance. Blood. It was goddamn blood from his goddamn stomach and there was enough of it to paint a wall. This job was supposed to have been easy. It was a cakewalk, a virtual baby mugging, and he had screwed it up somewhere along the line. Screwed it up? Yeah, okay, he'd slaughtered it.

An alarm sounded in the distance. It was too late to do the owners of the stolen property any good at all, but at least the stupid thing went off. Duo cast a look over his shoulder, calculating the distance between his current location and the residence behind him. He had cleared the blast zone but was at least half a mile off course and he was running late. His partner would blow the charges in exactly forty-five seconds. They were supposed to meet up two minutes after the explosion. Duo wasn't going to make it.

"Well, nothin' left to do but hold my guts in and run." The voice fell flat on his ears. That wasn't good. He hiked the rucksack higher on his shoulder, pressed a hand firmly on the bleeding wound and took off.

After a minute, he was on the ground, half-decayed leaves filling his mouth. The sound of the explosion had startled him into tripping over a stray branch. He spat out the mouthful of leaves and then crawled to his knees. That was all he could manage until he worked his way over to a tree and pulled himself back to his feet.

He was not going to die like this. He was not going to die because he was too careless to catch a stupid booby trap before he'd set it off. "Heero wouldn't have set it off." He took a step, his leg crumpled and he landed with a mouthful of the spongy dead fall again. "Wuffers would have dodged the damn bullet." This time it was a struggle to just force his knees under him. "Trowa would have balanced on the trip switch and still wouldn't have tripped the switch. And Quatre..." His hands slipped on the slick undergrowth and he got yet another shot of those tasty leaves. "Quatre would have pulled a Luke Skywalker. This is not me tripping your switch and all that."

He worked the rucksack around so he could fumble out its contents. The book was big. It was at least two feet by one foot by six or seven inches. And it was ugly. Its leather cover was so old it was beginning to crumble to reveal the wood underneath. Duo didn't know what the book was or what the geek freaks wanted with it, but he'd been given a job; snatch the book and hand it off to Heero. So, hand it off he would. He pulled it onto his stomach. When he didn't show up at the rendezvous point Heero would come looking. He was not the sort of person to fail a mission just because his partner was stupid enough to get himself shot.

"Nice job, Maxwell," he mumbled closing his eyes. He swallowed hard and then snickered. It was funny in a way. Shutting his eyes was the only thing he had the energy left to accomplish and it occurred to him that death has a mossy aftertaste. Mmmm... Moss...

"What are you giggling about?" Was that Heero? "You're late, baka."

Duo's eyes popped open. It was Heero. Duo's partner was looming over him with crossed arms and a frown. "Sorry. I ran into a problem."

"Get up. We're moving." Brusque as always.

"Can't."

"Explain," Heero demanded before he reached down and shoved the book to the side. "Shit, Duo." He tapped the hand Duo had pressed to his abdomen and replaced it with his own. "What happened?"

The icy pain Duo had ignored up until this point decided to branch out and tear rends through Duo's entire nerve system. "Damn!" he gasped. "That really hurts."

"How much blood have you lost?" His hands were in constant motion, checking the wound and then tearing fabric from his shirt to use as a bandage.

"About forty gallons. Ow."

"I told you..." The hands stopped momentarily. "You _knew_ I didn't bring my first aid kit."

Oh, he liked that one. As if he'd done this on purpose. "Yeah. From here on out I'll try to schedule all my fatal wounds with your secretary."

"Shut up." He did. Duo had never heard that tone from Heero before. It was almost as if he were upset or something.

Oh, right. The mission. Right now, Duo was making Heero fail his mission. Well, we can't have that. "The book."

"What?"

"The... The thing..." The pain was making it hard to focus, but Duo flailed his hand until it hit the book. "We came here for. It's here. Take it. Go." There he had his orders. He'd go finish the mission.

"I told you to shut up. I'm not leaving you here to die."

The object under Duo's hand jumped. Duo glanced over to the book and then his focus was permanently attached to the pool of blood around the book. It was growing smaller. Duo froze. The book was absorbing it. The book was feeding off of his lifeblood. It jumped again. Duo opened his mouth to scream and the world went black.


	2. The Reaper

Author: Rally  
Date: November 28, 2006

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

**On A Pale Horse**  
-The Reaper-

"Got a question for ya." Simaree didn't bother to look back; she knew he was there before he'd opened his mouth to speak. She was late for class and was really hoping he wasn't going to say a word. Holding back a sigh, she raised a hand and waved the kid over to her.

Alaen had been at the collegium for all of three weeks and he'd already managed to make Simaree regret agreeing to mentor him. What was she thinking? Aside from the fact that their home villages were practically on top of each other they had nothing in common. For lack of a better word the kid was a pest. Not a brat exactly, but he was persistent in the same way a fluffy little lap dog is when it decides that it _needs_ to yap for the better part of a day without pause for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

But then again, maybe she was the problem. Maybe she was the one who needed to improve her people skills.

"What is it, Alaen?" She left off the part about being in a hurry.

"Um..." He pulled the sleeve of her uniform after a few steps of silence. Simaree conceded, turning to look at him. The poor kid looked awful. His face, which was normally pale, was flushed dark crimson all the way to his white blond roots and sweat ran races down both cheeks. There was a slight tremor running through his body and his arm shook as he released her sleeve.

Simaree grabbed his arm and hauled him over to one of the stone benches that lined that side of the corridor. "Sit," she commanded shoving him onto the bench. "Are you all right?"

"Uh...Yeah." His blue gray eyes gelled over in gratitude, before he dropped his gaze to the floor. "Um..."

That um-uh-eh routine was getting really old. "Spit it out already. I need to get to class. I hate Religions, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna play hooky. So, out with it!" She was trying to keep her tone light, but she wasn't sure if she was succeeding or not.

He still wouldn't make eye contact. "I... Uh..."

The older girl took a deep breath and in a dramatic gesture threw her Religions homework over her shoulder. It was probably going to score a zero anyway. She had no clue how the goddess of the Dhorisha Plains was similar to the goddess of the Tale'edras. In the nine-page essay, she had rambled on about free will, the ability to do for oneself and oaths of vengeance. She held up a finger, smiled and said, "Clearly the gods have nothing on you." She flopped down next to the boy and circled his shoulders in a one-armed hug. "Take a nice slow breath." She waited for him to comply. "Let it out." He did. "I'm sorry I was being so cold to you. Can we start this conversation again?"

He finally looked up at her and then he nodded.

"Good morning, Alaen."

"Good morning, Simaree." Oh, good. That was a whole sentence. "Can I ask you something?" That was better.

"You know you can ask me anything."

It was then that he started to cry.

* * *

It took Simaree a candlemark to get the kid calmed down. She convinced him to go back to her room with her and despite the heat of the day, he was now bundled in a blanket on her bed. When she held out a cup of water to him he accepted it with only a slight tremor.

"Now, what's this all about?" Simaree asked flipping the only chair in the room around, straddling it and leaning both elbows on the back. "And don't start bawling this time or you'll never finish."

Alaen nodded, took a sip of his water and began. "For the last several months I've been having this dream. But it's not like a regular dream. I have it when I'm awake."

"Like a daydream?" Simaree already didn't like where Alaen's story was heading. A cold knot had formed in her chest just after the word dream had been spoken. Her gift was not foresight but she was not dumb enough to ignore her sixth sense and Alaen had not yet discovered what his gift was.

Alaen shook his head. "No, it's different, more real."

"Okay, what do you see in the dream?"

"Promise you won't laugh." He pulled the blanket closed around his face to hide the blush Simaree had seen spreading.

She reached over and pushed just enough of the fabric aside to make eye contact. "I wouldn't laugh if you tried to force me to. Please tell me so I can help."

"What if you can't?"

"Alaen, if I can't, the Dean can. If he can't, he'll find some one who can. We'll see that you get the help you need." This was important. She knew it was.

Alaen held her gaze for a moment before nodding. He let the blanket fall back completely. "It starts off weird. There's this boy who can fly. But when he flies he kills and he laughs about it. He uses fire and a glowing scythe to destroy whole villages. That's what he does. He flies around from village to village destroying them."

"He's a mage?"

"No, at least, I don't think so. He calls himself a 'terrorist.'"

"Which villages? Where?"

Alaen shook his head. "None in Valdemar. They're different from ours. The walls are impossibly high and there are giant moving statues that defend them, but that doesn't stop the boy. Nothing ever stops the boy. And he's headed here next.

He's given himself a name. It means death. _Shinigami_."

Simaree had opened her mouth to make a comment but it remained unspoken.

The Death Bell had begun tolling.

* * *

The toll of the Bell reverberated through the entire city and it roused everyone in the Palace and its adjoining collegia. Heralds, Companions, Healers, Bards, Trainees and the ungifted alike, young and old all found themselves sprinting through Companion's Field toward the ruins of the Bell tower.

When they got there, they found a lone Companion standing over the body of a boy, screaming nearly incoherently into the minds of every member of the assembly. The only phrase that could be comprehended fully was "Help him!"


	3. It's Not All Clicks and Whistles

Date: December 3, 2006

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. No italics mean he's speaking Valdemaren. After this chapter, he should be speaking mostly in Valdemaren, so you've only got to be confused for a short while.

A/N 2: This chapter updated as of December 11, 2007 based on _silvane's_ review. I've made Duo's language skills a bit more realistic. So, the 300 existing languages has been reduced to 50. Thank you, silvane.

On A Pale Horse  
-It's Not All Clicks and Whistles-

Duo screamed his head off for all it was worth. No sound came out. He couldn't move. He couldn't see, but he damn sure remembered what had happened with the book. Just thinking back the thing gave him a mental shiver and the image of the book sprouting a tongue that lazily lapped at the pool of cooling blood invaded his thoughts. He violently shook that vision away. Well, he would have if shaking were possible. What the hell had G gotten him into this time?

But then again, it didn't matter. He was dead. It was sad that he had to go out in such an uncool way, bleeding to death in the middle of friggin' nowhere. On his list of lamest ways to die, bleeding to death made number three. It was beat out only by old age and falling down the stairs. What happened to his Blaze of Glory? He wanted his Blaze of Glory, goddammit! A guy deserved his Blaze of Glory, didn't he?

"Duo?" The voice was a little melodic and had a sweetness to it that could only belong to a female.

What the hell was invading a guy's perfectly decent death rant?

"Wake up, Duo."

Wake up? But he was already—

Duo's eyes popped open. He was in a small blue room. The single window above the head of the bed was thrown open and a small breeze tickled the edges of a sheer curtain. There was a single chair next to the bed, occupied by a young woman in an emerald green dress. Her expression was one of exhaustion, but her grey eyes sparkled as she smiled down at him.

"_Were you the one who woke me up?_" His question was met with confusion and a slurry of some language he didn't recognize. When Duo indicated that he didn't understand, the woman jumped up and ran out of the room.

"_'Kay. That was kinda weird._" That unfamiliar language bothered him. He was positive that he could at least identify any of the 50 or so spoken languages left in the system. He couldn't speak all of them, only about half. Still, that one was completely alien. When he'd snatched the book he was in Germany. Now, Europe had as many languages and dialects as Treize had roses but this still wasn't anything like those. Now, if she'd only come back and talk some more, he might be able to get somewhere.

He struggled to sit up but there was pain in his abdomen from the gunshot wound and his arms were unwilling to cooperate. He managed to use the headboard rails to pull himself upright before the woman entered again, followed by an older man and a woman. The newcomers were dressed in identical white uniforms.

The man was thin as a rail even though he topped both women in the room by at least three heads. He kept his brown hair trimmed short and it was easy to tell that the huge smile that graced his face was a common feature. He said something in that same strange language and then he placed a hand on his chest and said, "Dean Ayden." He gestured to the woman who also placed a hand on her chest. She introduced herself as "Anndreth."

From Duo's position Anndreth looked to be about Trowa's height, but she resembled Relena in many ways. Same light brown hair and blue eyes. Same determination behind those shiny blues. She nodded to Duo and then claimed the empty chair, crossing her legs and leaning forward. "And you are?" she asked.

Duo didn't recognize a word but the meaning was clear so he grinned, pointed to his nose and replied in kind, "Duo Maxwell."

"Doh Mackswell?" Anndreth repeated.

Duo shook his head and pointed to his nose again. "Duo Maxwell. Duo." He pointed to the man, "Dean Ayden," and then the woman, "Anndreth. _I learn real quick. Keep talking._"

That only served to confuse her so he tried, "_Where_?" and pushed both palms toward the floor.

"Where?" Anndreth repeated this time in her own language. "Haven."

Haven? Where the hell was Haven? "Haven where?"

Anndreth's jaw dropped for a split second. "Haven is in Valdemar. Where——?" Duo didn't understand the last bit of what she'd said but she'd pointed to him. That was easy enough to decipher.

Now, how to answer? He was on Earth when he passed out and the breeze was direct evidence that he wasn't on a colony. He pointed up. "L2."

She shook her head and turned to Ayden. She said something and then turned back to Duo. "Where did you come from?" she repeated, this time a bit slower.

"Come from L 2," said Duo, just as slowly and pointed to the ceiling again. "You come from Haven in Valdemar." Her jaw dropped again. "_Keep talking._" He gave them the universal keep going gesture. At least, he hoped it was universal.

This time she seemed to understand.

* * *

Ayden and Anndreth were patient people. They talked with Duo, teaching him as much as he could handle and correcting his syntax when necessary. Still, it took several hours for Duo to absorb enough Valdemaren to be capable of asking the questions he most wanted answered. The sun had nearly set and Ayden had fetched several candles to light the room.

The candles bothered Duo even more than the unfamiliar language and country name, but not quite as much as the fact that aside from a lot of stiffness and some bruise-like pain his abdomen was completely healed. "_I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto,_" he muttered.

"Pardon?" asked Ayden setting the last candle in a sconce attached to the wall.

Duo shook his head. "_Never mind._ Um... It is not."

"It is nothing," provided Anndreth. Duo wasn't positive but she almost had to be a linguist to be able to figure out his mangled attempts as her language.

"Nothing." Duo nodded, filing the new word away in his mental dictionary. "I be here, how much time?"

Ayden corrected his sentence before holding up both hands, fingers splayed and then a single hand with two fingers bent. He counted off his fingers aloud as he did. "Thirteen days."

Two weeks? He'd been unconscious for two weeks? Holy crap. "_You're kidding? A joke right?_ Ha ha." He mimicked laughing.

The man shook his head. "It is no joke. You slept for thirteen days. You were hurt." He indicated Duo's wound. "Very sick."

If he had been missing for two weeks, Heero was going to kill him when he caught up to him. No one ditches Perfect Soldier Boy when on a mission. Well, not without major repercussions. Y'know the ol' omae o korosu. Right back at you buddy! What did Heero do, anyway? Leave him for dead? And he promised that he wouldn't.

Or maybe Duo really had died and this was Hell? He took a moment to look around. Okay, there was no way that this place could be Hell. Heaven maybe? Yeah, right. Shinigami in Heaven. That was about as likely as Wufei standing above a crowd of women, smiling and then revealing his love of all things pink and fluffy. He shook his head. He needed to stay on track.

"Thirteen days. _Okay._ I get here how?"

Ayden and Anndreth cast each other a glance before Anndreth replied, "That is what we want to know. You were found inside the walls, near the Palace. No person should be able to get that far without being spotted. Did Onette bring you here? She is the one who got help for you even after your heart stopped beating."

Duo only caught half that. "Say again?" The woman repeated herself, describing or pantomiming any new terms. "Who is Onette?"

Anndreth had glared at him as if he'd sprung a second or even a third head and then told him that Onette was _his friend_. Not that he ever recalled meeting someone with that name.

"My companion she is not," he protested past the glare. "Met her I have not." Anndreth's glare morphed into a blank stare, but Ayden gave him a small smile.

"She is not my Companion. I have not met her," the man said gently before he caught Duo's eyes in a sincere look. "Duo, what do you know of Valdemar?"

"Nothing," he admitted immediately. "I know of Valdemar not—I do not know of Valdemar." Duo knew the location of every satellite of Earth and had a map of the entire planet in his brain. Valdemar was not on it. Suddenly, he didn't feel so well.

"Where do you come from? Where is Eretoo?"

"L 2," Duo corrected. It was only fair. "Far away. _Too god dammed far away._"


	4. Bridge of Minor Confusion

Author: Rally  
Date: December 7, 2006

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren.

On A Pale Horse  
-Bridge of Minor Confusion-

_Thwack!_

"Again!"

Simaree shook the stinging out of her left hand, rubbed at her side and then retrieved her practice blade from the floor. That was the fifth time she'd received one of Tehlin's love taps. It was a new record for one practice session and Simaree could tell that the armsmaster was at least, if not more, upset at her wretched performance than she was. This time he had slipped under her parry and delivered a hard blow to her ribs.

Simaree fell back into guard stance and the exercise was repeated, with the same awful results. Tehlin's hit even landed in the same spot.

"Stop." Armsmaster Tehlin frowned down at his student, thick black eyebrows pulled together. "Unacceptable, trainee. Go cool down. I'll see you after class."

"Yes, sir," the trainee agreed. She placed her wooden blade on the communal rack and took three full laps around the Salle before finding an empty seat on the bench near the door.

Tehlin had let her off easy. She was still a bit puzzled about that. At her skill level, he never should have been able to land a hit with that move, let alone disarm her twice. He should have screamed. Why hadn't he bellowed that a first year student was more agile and less likely to fall for such an obvious feint? It was in an armsmaster's nature to yell, so why had he merely dismissed her until after class?

She'd been the target of her share of Tehlin's high volume scoldings and she'd deserved each an every one of them. It was not in an armsmaster's best interest to be easy on his students. Softness produces only dead students. Simaree wasn't stupid; she knew this. That was why she was so confused.

"You look upset." By the smallest measure, Simaree avoided starting. In her musing, Tehlin had taken up the empty seat next to her and after Simaree's initial glance she refrained from looking at him.

"Not upset exactly. I was just wondering≈"

"Why I didn't take your head off, especially with the group of beginners watching?" She nodded. "Because it wouldn't have made any difference. If I'd screamed at you, you'd only have gotten more upset and made stupider mistakes. You are not failing due to lack of skill or lack of trying. You're failing because you aren't concentrating. You're distracted. Distraction makes you open to attack and to failure. So, now, I fix your concentration by asking you what is wrong?"

Simaree took a moment to absorb Tehlin's speech. He was usually so abrupt that the sheer amount of words he'd just strung together was somewhat mind numbing, but everything he'd said made sense. She wasn't focusing and during the spar she hadn't been able to think of Tehlin as an enemy. He was merely a lesson to endure so she could get back to the problem at hand.

And the problem was the Dean. She'd been trying for days to talk to Dean Ayden about Alaen's dreams, but every time she'd gone to his office he was out. It was so frustrating. Alaen was depending on her to handle the situation and she couldn't do it. And then it occurred to her that there was a potential solution sitting just an elbow length away. Tehlin was Armsmaster. He could get the Dean to listen to her.

"It's Alaen, sir. He's been having some disturbing daydreams and he thinks that they're more than dreams. From the way he describes them, I do too."

Tehlin stood up, prompting Simaree to give him a bewildered look. "Let's take a walk." He smiled reassuringly and waited for her to join him.

* * *

The sun hadn't quite risen when Duo eased himself out bed. His belly was still sore and his legs were weak from nearly two weeks of disuse, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to that sort of thing. Pain and Duo went hand in hand. They were like ham and cheese or like cookies and milk or like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. Hmmm... All of his similes were turning out to be food. He must be hungry.

His stomach roared. Duo patted it affectionately. Poor little guy had been through a lot. It deserved something for all its suffering. And that something, he hoped, was a fluffer-nutter sandwich or ice cream or cherry pie or a chocolate donut with sprinkles on top.

The seven-foot journey from the bed to the door proved to be quite a bit more difficult than Duo first imagined. His legs really, really did not want to work. He made it about half way when he had to stop to take a breather. "_Crap on a goddamn stick!_"

The door opened and the green clad woman from the day before entered. "Good morning, Duo Maxwell. I see you're feeling much better today." If she was surprised that her patient was out of bed and panting like a pervert on a phone line she did a remarkable job of hiding it.

"Uh... yes. I am," he replied.

She gave him the Nurse's Look of Disapproval. Duo was more familiar with that look than he was comfortable with so when she held out a hand he braced himself for a tirade. It didn't come. "You should be feeling well enough to walk around by this afternoon. But for now, please have a seat." She wiggled her hand until Duo grasped it and then she led him back to the bed.

"_Thanks!_" he said immediately and then he remembered that she couldn't understand him. "Oh, sorry. Thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome. My name is Learen. The Dean told me that you're learning Valdemaren very quickly but if I go too fast please tell me." Duo nodded. "All right then. Let me guess, you're hungry right? Boys your age are always hungry."

Duo smiled back. "Do not blame me. I have not had food in thirteen days. I am a growing boy."

* * *

Learen had the food sent in. It turned out that she was the doctor, not the nurse as he'd first suspected and Duo was a little chagrined at his misjudgment. He was usually right on the mark. Even the food wasn't what he was hoping for. It was porridge, an apple and some astringent tea. Duo hadn't had to stomach the god-awfulness of porridge since his orphanage days and the tea was too harsh for his delicate palate. The only portion of the meal that was appetizing was the apple. The worst part of the whole thing was that it didn't make a dent in the grumbling monster that Duo called a stomach.

When the young girl that brought the food returned to collect the dishes, he'd begged shamelessly for seconds. She began to tell him that she couldn't possibly bring him more when Duo noticed that she was blushing and trying to hide her face. Jackpot!

"Please?" Just one word had captured her attention. He smiled brilliantly and Duo knew it was a magical smile. On more than one occasion, it had charmed unwilling nurses, candy stripers, and even once a male orderly, into giving him exactly what he wanted. Duo Maxwell was one manipulative bastard.

The girl blushed brighter and rushed out the door promising to return with twice the meal. Duo snickered and then swore. He should have asked for dessert. Damn.

He sighed and leaned back on the headboard, closing his eyes. It had been a long, long night. Ayden and Anndreth had only left a few hours earlier. They wanted to make sure Duo's language skills were as functional as possible before they left him. Neither one would be available to meet him today, but they wished him well and gave him permission to explore as his doctor sees fit. They assured him that he was a guest, not a captive.

They were nice enough, but Duo didn't buy it. It wouldn't be the first time a captor decided that deception was the best method for gathering information. And now that he thought about it, they had given him clear answers to hardly any of his questions. Most of what he asked was met with an "I don't know," or a "You tell me." When he'd asked about that chick Onette again Anndreth had just repeated, in a tone that indicated that Duo must be daft, that Onette was his Companion and he would find out soon enough. That time the emphasis on the word "Companion" was clear. It was all so annoying.

He was used to asking questions and getting them answered concisely, even if it did usually involve the use of a gun, knife or another form of deadly weapon. Double-talk was his expertise and he knew when it was being used on him. Except in this case, he didn't. He was still guessing at about a third of what was being said to him. He needed to learn faster. He needed to observe these people when they didn't know they were being observed. He needed to get out of that tiny room and mingle.

He was halfway to the door when he realized two things: his legs were cooperating and there was food on the way. Food or freedom? Food or freedom? Fuck it. He was getting the hell out of there.


	5. When Animals Attack

Author: Rally  
Date: December 13, 2006

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate mind speech. Whoops! Looks like the legend keeps growing. Sorry about that.

On A Pale Horse  
-When Animals Attack-

The first part of Duo's plan involved acquiring something a bit more appropriate in the way of clothing. The hospital gown he was wearing, while considerably more substantial than any he'd woken up in before, was still a hospital gown that barely hit his knees. In fact, in it Duo looked like an adolescent child using his older brother's hand-me-down as a nightshirt. The whole look was topped off by his tousle-headed, bare footedness.

Padding down the still corridor, searching for anything resembling a storage closet, Duo rounded a corner and practically slammed into a crowd of chattering teens dressed in light green. These people sure loved their uniforms. Green must be for doctors and the light green for students. Ayden had mentioned something about a school, but Duo couldn't decipher much else of that particular run-on paragraph. He escaped detection only because the group was too busy chatting, yawning and rubbing sleepy eyes to notice the escaped patient before he jumped back into the empty hallway. Reversing his route eventually led him to a set of double doors that were propped open by a couple of white marble doorstops in the shape of horses.

The new wing was quieter than the one his room was located in, but as he passed by a closed door he could make out the cadence of a lecture. The voice was too muffled, and Duo's grasp of Valdemaren too weak, for him to make out more than a few words, but the teacher was enthusiastic enough to make Duo wish at least some of the school's he'd attended had faculty as impassioned as the man behind that door. It wouldn't have mattered if he cared or didn't care about the subject; he would have been drawn into the learning environment and maybe not slept through more than half of his classes. That type of teaching produced an infectious knowledge.

With a shake of his head he moved on. The next several rooms were empty and he soon came upon a copy of the previous double doors. These ones were closed so Duo pushed through them and tried the first door on his left. It proved to be a bathroom. Literally. There were three rows of bathtubs through the center of the room and the far end was taken up mostly by a large copper water heater. Duo winced at the primitive plumbing, not because he disapproved of having hot water in which to bathe, but because it proved his nagging suspicion that returning home was an impossibility. His home colony had more sophisticated equipment than this place did and it was the poorest of any of Earth's satellites. This place was so far from home it was like another universe entirely. Hell, it was probably another dimension.

But Duo had no time for self-pity. There was hot water and fluffy towels waiting and with the enthusiastic class going on down the hall he'd have a few minutes to make use of both. Snatching a towel, he noticed that there were two stacks of the pale green uniforms he'd seen on the teenagers in the hallway earlier. It made it almost too easy.

* * *

Freshly cleaned and changed≈though he'd still have to do something about footgear later≈Duo pushed his way out into the warm morning air. The sun was shining directly in his face and as soon as he exited the building he had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. He squinted against the blaring light. Straight ahead there was a shadow looming in the sun glare. An arm automatically raised to shield his vision when≈

_:You're wearing the wrong color.:_

"_Yeah_," he began, still squinting hard, trying to force the shadow to become a clear image. "_But I couldn't find anything bla≈_" He froze. Whoever spoke had done so in Standard.

The figure ahead stepped forward≈each step chiming like a bell≈and blocked out enough of the sun for Duo to get his first look at the owner of the voice. Duo's heart thumped hard and he fell back against the door. It was a horse, a huge, white monstrosity of a horse. Now, Duo was an artificial boy. He grew up in a fabricated world with simulated sunlight, synthesized weather and recycled air. It was only after descending to Earth that he learned a valuable lesson: Duo and wildlife had a tendency to disagree≈violently≈on all things. His mind flashed to many a night he'd spent under the cover of trees that he'd been beaten, bashed, bitten and generally assaulted simply because the local fauna had decided that they didn't want him around. It didn't matter what type of animal it was: squirrels, birds, mice, rats, wolves≈that had been a horror filled night≈, skunks, cute wittle itty bitty bunny-wabbits all hated him. Now, he was facing down an animal that was easily twice his size with a jaw span that he was positive could engulf his own head and hooves that gleamed like polished gundanium razor blades.

The horse snickered≈could horses snicker?≈and took another step forward. Duo cowered against the solid wood of the door behind him, squeezing his eyes shut. The fearsome creature snickered again and then wuffed in his ear. Duo heard himself squeak. It was a pitiful mewling sound.

Wait a minute! Wait just one god damned minute. Duo does _not_ squeak. He's Shinigami. He's Death. He makes _others_ squeak.

Duo swallowed his heart back into its proper position, faced his tormentor and, as ridiculous as it sounded, opened his mouth to give the horse a piece of his mind. He didn't count on immediately getting trapped in a sapphire-blue gaze.

His first thought was, "Heero?" His second, "Oh, my."

The feeling that engulfed him could only be described as pure, undiluted love and acceptance. It was a heat that reached down into his cold inner being, down into the areas filled with guilt, loneliness and self-loathing and it warmed them. It went far beyond anything Duo ever felt before and he allowed himself to drown in the sensation until a voice called him back to the surface.

_:I Choose you. I've waited eons for you so don't even _think_ about running away.:_

With a start, Duo found himself with his arms clamped desperately around the horse's neck, tears pouring down both cheeks. He turned his face into her silky mane, ashamed of his inability to cease his weeping. The torrent of tears wore themselves out after a few moments and aside from the embarrassment, he felt wonderful.

"_Don't tell anyone about this,_" he mumbled. "_I'll never live it down._" The idea of talking to a horse didn't bother him as much as it probably should have. This was a guy who frequently had long conversations with a mobile suit; talking to a horse≈a living creature≈had to be an improvement in his mental state.

_:Oh, don't worry,:_ the horse began with a hint of amusement in her voice, _:I intend to hold this over your head until I can make use of it.:_

Duo couldn't help but smile as he pushed himself away and tapped her nose with a forefinger. "_You really are an evil, evil creature._"

_:Aren't I, though?:_

Oh, he liked her. She was someone he would have absolutely no trouble getting along with, a perfect companion. His Companion. "_You're Onette._"

_:See, I knew you weren't just a pretty face.:_

* * *

Tehlin maintained a rapid pace, remaining silent until they had put a good bit of ground between the training field and themselves. When they were clearly out of earshot, he slowed to a stroll and spoke up. "These dreams, what does he see in them?"

Simaree hesitated a moment, trying to assemble her thoughts into a coherent, cohesive whole. She really hadn't learned anything else about the visions from Alaen since that first confession. The kid had taken to dodging her and her questions at every turn. Half of the time he'd notice her approach and, not bothering to conceal his actions, turn and run off in the opposite direction. The other half of the time he gave her lame excuses and ran off in the opposite direction. And the few times she managed to corral him, he just stared at the ground and told her that he was fine and the dreams had gone away.

But he wasn't fine. He walked hunched over, his face was either flushed beet red or drained to the color of fresh snow and he was startled by every little sound. He was avoiding her and he wasn't talking to his friends. He wasn't confiding in anyone and that was making her just as flustered as the Dean was.

"The dreams all revolve around a boy who calls himself Death, but Alaen used a different word for the name and then translated it. Shimmi- Shimmilani or something. He says this boy flies around from village to village destroying them and killing everything in his wake. There was also something about guardian statues that defend against this Death kid, but I'm not really sure what that bit was about either."

She came to a stop, sure that Tehlin was about to tell her to get herself back to the nursery until she could stop whining like a baby over inconsequential matters. She kept her gaze fixed on the Armsmaster's back until he noticed she wasn't beside him and turned to face her.

Before that deprecating command could leave his lips she delivered her defense. "I know it sounds ridiculous. I know I'm taking up your valuable time, but..." So much for a defense. This was not helping her at all. "You didn't see the look on his face. He was panicked." Tehlin held up a hand, but Simaree ignored it and plunged onward. "And when he mentioned the dream, the only thing I could think was 'Foresight.' And I tried to talk to Dean Ayden about it but he's always out. And≈"

"I believe you."

"≈it's just so, so irritating! And≈Huh?" The girl came up short, mouth flapping like a fish. "I≈ You≈ What?"

"I said I believe you, so stop jumping to conclusions." Simaree flushed a little. Tehlin was right, she wasn't being fair to him. "You did exactly what you should have."

She was hit by sense of relief so profound it brought tears to her eyes. Finally, someone was going to help Alaen. "What should I do, sir?"

"We," he caught her eye, "Are going to collect young Alaen and then we're all going to see Ayden."

"Thank you, sir." It was inadequate, but it was all she could think of to say.


	6. Shroud of Death

Author: Rally  
Date: January 6, 2007

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

On A Pale Horse  
-Shroud of Death-

"_Why can you speak Standard when everyone else here speaks_ Valdemaren?" Duo sat in the shade of a leafy tree off to the side of the hospital, his back pressed against Onette's warm side. He was hunched over and meticulously denuding the patch of ground gated off by his crossed legs, one grass blade at a time.

_:I don't,:_ came the Companion's reply. _:I'm using Mindspeech. Speaking mind to mind puts the meaning directly in your head. It's your brain that's translating those thoughts into Standard.:_

Duo took a moment to mull that statement over and a few more blades of grass came to their untimely deaths. "_But then, I'm speaking Standard and you still understand me._"

_:Wrong again,:_ Onette said with just a hint of a giggle. _:I've got a very strong Gift of Mindspeech and you have very loud thoughts. I'm hearing your words as you think them, not as you say them.:_

"_Huh? A mind reading horse. Who'd'ave thunk it?_" Duo mumbled, dropping his latest victims and brushing off his hands. He stretched his legs out straight and then leaned back to rest his head on the Companion's shoulder.

Duo didn't like the idea of someone poking around in his brain, nosing around in private thoughts, dredging up things he'd long ago buried and forgotten, or revealing things he didn't want revealed to this pristine world. He didn't know what it was that made him think of Valdemar as being unsoiled, maybe it was the wide open expressions of the people he'd met so far, maybe it was the primitive state of technology or maybe it was all just his wild imagination. What he did know was that he didn't want the dark shroud of Shinigami to spoil it and for some unknown reason he knew that his mere presence had begun to sully the crystal clear waters.

_:Don't do that.:_ The words were harsh, but Duo could feel the concern behind them.

"_Do what?_"

_:Whatever it is you're doing that's making you depressed and worried. And angry,:_ she added as Duo's fists balled up.

He wasn't angry. But... What right did she have to invade his privacy? His mind and heart were his own to divulge or to keep secret. She _didn't_ have the right! She was just some stupid horse≈

Okay, so he was angry. He relaxed his hands, redirecting the tension in another direction. _:Can't you just read my mind, Horse?:_ he thought at her harshly.

_:Gently.:_ Onette coaxed unperturbed by her Chosen's attitude. _:That was good for a first try at Mindspeech, but don't be so rough. And the answer is yes, I can read your thoughts, but I _won't_. Not unless you give me permission. Not only is that wrong but I don't intend to hurt you and prying into your thoughts _would_ hurt you.:_ Her voice was sympathetic, touched by a sliver of sadness. _:But I also want you to know that there is nothing that you have done in the past≈or will do in the future≈that will make me either dislike you or leave you.:_

At those reassuring words Duo's anger fled as quickly as it had arrived and he realized that it wasn't Onette that he was mad at; it was himself. Or rather, as irrational as the thought was, he was pissed that he'd _allowed_ the whole situation to happen and that there wasn't a damn thing he could do to remedy it. He was stuck and, worse yet, he _knew_, somewhere down in the pit of his stomach, that his arrival in this world was merely heralding something far, far more sinister than the sudden inexplicable appearance of a skinny orphan kid. _:Don't say that. You don't know what I am.:_

_:And what are you?:_ There was nothing accusatory behind the question, only simple curiosity.

"_Shinigami._" He climbed to his feet. _:Death, Onette. I'm Death.:_ And he walked away.

* * *

Simaree trailed in Tehlin's formidable wake, her head slightly dizzy with the man's sheer speed and determination. He led them directly to the door of Alaen's History class. He knocked briskly three times and then entered without waiting to be invited. Simaree anchored herself in the doorway, unsure if she should enter. Herald Rida was the current teacher of the class and she was, to say the least, an imposing woman. The redhead was all hard bulk, nearly as tall as the Dean and she wasn't known for her understanding of people disturbing her class. Her expression was quickly reaching outrage when she caught sight of her intruders and that outrage turned to surprise. "Armsmaster Tehlin?" she managed in a startled gasp before Tehlin interrupted.

"Pardon my intrusion, Rida, but I must steal one of your students." Between the two Heralds there was the slight pause that Simaree had learned was usually a brief bout of Mindspeech and Rida nodded.

"Alaen," she said waving the boy over and Simaree noticed him for the first time. He was slunk down in an isolated corner chair, studying the tops of his boots and when he looked up his eyes were red and swollen. Simaree caught his eye and tried to give him an encouraging smile, but he just looked away, making his silent way up to the front of the classroom.

Rida patted him gently on the shoulder. "Havens child, you're not being summoned to the hangman's noose." The words were harsh, but Rida's tone was consolatory. "Now, don't forget your report on Burning Pines is due tomorrow."

Alaen nodded and without a word, slipped past the older Trainee into the hallway. "What is it?" she asked, stepping out of the doorway. When there was no reply, she reached out a hand to grab his wrist. "Alaen, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

He turned those puffy, red-rimmed eyes up to hers, slowly shook his head and placed an index finger on his lips. He then pointed to the Armsmaster and spoke a single word. "Wait."

* * *

The Dean's office was smaller and yet more elegant than Simaree could have imagined. The room was just big enough to contain a monstrous mahogany desk, two floor-to-ceiling bookcases and five padded chairs. The bookcases were filled to the brim and ran the length of the back and right walls. The left wall held two windows that were currently propped open to catch any and all breezes. Behind that gargantuan desk sat the Dean and off to his right was Armsmaster Tehlin.

That left the two students feeling very small under both the gazes of the high-ranking adults and in the shadow of that huge desk and Simaree had a feeling that the atmosphere was one that was catered to the Collegium's few troublemakers.

"Would you like to tell me about these dreams, Trainee Alaen?" The Dean was far more composed than he probably should have been. Tehlin had called him out of a meeting and demanded that the man join them in his office.

"I'm not sure I should, sir." That was the longest sentence Simaree had heard from the kid in days.

"And why is that, may I ask?"

The trainee gave Simaree a brief glance and then took a slow breath. "Because the last time I told someone, a person got hurt."

"Oh?" Dean Ayden's timbre held volumes of meaning. "And who was that?"

"That person who was found dying in Companion's Field. The one Onette found."

"What makes you think that they're related? You speaking of the dream and him getting hurt?"

Alaen flashed Simaree another quick look before replying. "Well, I just said his name and then the Death Bell rang." The Dean held his tongue this time, prompting Alaen to continue with a hand sign. "He calls himself _Shinigami. Shinigami_ means Death." Alaen shrunk down as far into the chair as his slight frame would allow. "_Shinigami_ lives in the night sky, with the stars and the moon. He is an incarnation of destruction that walks among man. His laughter echoes through the sky as he cuts through villagers and their guardian statues with a single strike of his burning scythe. Wherever _Shinigami_ walks, death is sure to follow."

"Fascinating," mumbled the Dean, scratching something down on a piece of paper before he looked up and caught Alaen's eye. "That, my boy, is the most detail I've gotten out of anyone, yet."

"Huh?" asked the boy.

"Excuse me, Dean," Simaree interrupted, "But what in Blazes are you talking about?"

Dean Ayden gave them both an encouraging smile. "Young Alaen is not the first to come to me about this matter. Several full Heralds have had similar visions and all of them have at least a touch of Foresight. One of those Heralds sits to my right."

"Tehlin?" Simaree asked numbly. At the Dean's nod she turned to the Armsmaster. "Sir, you've had this dream?"

"I have," he admitted with a nod. "But what I Saw was a black figure holding a burning scythe, laughing maniacally at the flames around him."

"Up until now that is all anyone has Seen," provided the Dean in a tone that was much too upbeat for the topic at hand. "And I'm not afraid to admit that I've been rather stumped by what it all meant, but in light of this new information..." He let the statement fade as he jotted down something else, his quill scribbling fiercely across the paper for several lines before he looked back up to the students. "Right then! Follow me."


	7. No Plan Survives First Contact

Author: Rally  
Date: February 13, 2007

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse**  
-No Plan Survives First Contact-

Simaree had thought Tehlin was a difficult person to keep pace with; she was quickly learning that the Dean far excelled the Armsmaster in sheer speed. The students found themselves jogging simply to avoid loosing him and the Dean seemed determined to drag them through the entire Herald's Collegium. He paused only to hold open the door leading outside. Simaree leapt at the opportunity to question him.

"Sir, where are we going?" Dean Ayden grinned, closing the door securely behind the group. "Sir?"

The Dean allowed her to stew for only a few more seconds. "Trainee Alaen has expressed interest in the health of a particular resident of the House of Healing, has he not? I thought it best if he were to meet the young man and discover that he is doing just fine."

The L-shaped, granite structure that loomed straight ahead included both the House of Healing and the Healer's Collegium and at this late morning hour, it was only just beginning to wake from its nightly slumber. The building was a nest of activity; students, Healers, workers, assistants, patients all moving from one job to another, one appointment to the next. Simaree had never had the time to just stop and watch the activity around her before. It was fascinating, like the first time she'd seen Haven from afar, all that energy≈all that dissonance≈blending its way into organized chaos.

There was a tug on Simaree's sleeve. "So, then..." began a small voice, "He's all right?"

"Of course, he's all right, Alaen. You would like to meet him?" At Alaen's nod, the Dean motioned for them to follow. This time he kept it down to a sedate walk. "His name is Duo Maxwell and from what I can gather he's around your age, Alaen. Due to his injury he'd been unconscious for just over a fortnight but, I assure you, he insists that the 'accident' was entirely of his own making. Just last night he woke up and something tells me that now that he's awake he won't remain in his bed for too much longer." He paused his explanation for a thoughtful moment before nodding as he came to some undisclosed decision. "I had thought of sending Grennon to keep him company until he further recovered, but I don't see why you and Simaree can't take the job."

Grennon was a Trainee a year older than Simaree, on the verge of earning his Whites and out of all the Trainees, Gren was the best at handling people; he had a gift for reading what a person needed and responding to that need with exactly the right solution. At first glance, Gren seemed like the perfect person to baby sit an injured, confused child, but after a few seconds of contemplation, he seemed _too good_ for the job. It was almost overkill.

"Why Gren, sir? And if Alaen and I are going to be replacing him is there something about this kid that we should know?"

"He's a foreigner, doesn't speak Valdemaren very well and seems to be surprised by pretty much every aspect of not just our culture but our daily lives. I wouldn't worry though, he's an astute student≈and by 'astute' I mean 'brutally avid.' Simply brilliant. He doesn't speak Valdemaren very well, but when I met him last night he didn't speak it at all. He's polite, considerate and seems to be a very optimistic fellow."

Either the Dean had stumbled upon the student of every teacher's dreams or he was purposely over exaggerating the kid's good qualities, as if he were hiding something. "If he's a foreigner, may I ask where's he from?" As soon as the words left her mouth, her stomach churned with suspicion. "He's from Karse, isn't he? We've a Karsite nestled in the heart of Haven!"

At that, the Dean laughed. "No, he's not from Karse." He reached to open the door into the House of Healing and waved his students through.

"Then where?" Simaree asked moving ahead and thrusting out an arm to block the Dean's advance, at the same time giving Alaen and Tehlin plenty of room to pass behind her.

Another of those reveal nothing grins concealed the Dean's surprise almost immediately. "That is an excellent question."

* * *

Duo had made to the far side of the building when he realized that he was sulking. And that he'd just potentially estranged an ally by behaving like a dick to her. He'd just stalked away like an angry child who'd just gotten his favorite toy taken away. He hated both sulking and acting like a child.

"_So, what are ya gonna do about it, Maxwell? You're gonna stop whining and think this thing through._" After all, his biggest problem was how to get home. Up until now, he'd just labeled it as impossible, each new thing he learned about this world only served to confuse him and "confirm" his theory, but what had he actually _done_ to prove it? Nothing. Right. So, solution number one: find out everything he can about how he got here and where he was found.

His second biggest problem was communication. Or rather, his lack there of. Hell, that one was easy! Onette could, and probably would, help him digest the language faster than he could on his own if he'd stop treating her like crap and ask. It wasn't like Valdemaren was all that complex. He'd already deciphered the basics of syntax and grammar. The only thing left was to increase his vocabulary.

The third problem was more of a mental issue. Since waking up, he'd been compelled by an almost aching need to trust these people. It warred with every survival instinct pummeled into him and a few he was born with. This was the problem that he still had no idea how to handle and frankly it was kind of freakish. Duo Maxwell never trusts anyone right off. Ever. Oh, sure, he was good at making others _believe_ that he trusted them, but actual trust was hard earned.

Now, that he was calm and thinking rationally, the simplicity of the solution struck him: just treat it like any other mission. He'd keep his distance while maintaining his cover, collect the data and then get out. He could do this. As long as the people around him were convinced that he was merely an ordinary teenager, everything would be fine.

Step one: find Onette and apologize.

* * *

"Gone?"

The Healer Trainee left behind as the bearer of ill tidings was approximately in her second year. She had long brown hair pulled into a tail at the base of her neck and looked as if, under normal circumstances, her personality was quite sunny. As it was, her features were schooled into a mask of solemnity. But then, informing the Dean of the Herald's Collegium and the Weaponsmaster that a patient had been allowed to escape would tend to do that to a person. "I'm very sorry, sir. Healer Learen asked me to tell you that he's in good shape and should be fine as long as he doesn't do anything reckless. But if you should happen to find him, send him back so she can release him. She also said, 'He'll make a fine Herald; he's already acting like an injured one. He's all yours.'"

The Dean merely chuckled. "You may tell Healer Learen that I am delighted to take him off her hands and I'll be sure to bring him back. Soon, if possible." The girl nodded and turned to run down the hall. Simaree didn't blame her. Were their positions reversed, she'd have done the same.

"Where do you suppose he's gone, sir?" That had come from Alaen, but it expressed Simaree's thoughts exactly.

"Like any newly chosen, I suspect that he's with his Companion. When we find Onette, we'll find young Duo."

Well, that sounded easy enough, since the easiest way to locate a Companion is to ask a Companion.

_:Feyan?:_ Simaree Mindcalled.

The response was prompt, but not without heartfelt greeting. _:Good morning, Chosen.:_

_:Morning, Feyan. Have you seen Onette around? The Dean, the Armsmaster, Alaen and I are looking for her Chosen. I thought you might know where she is.:_

_:I haven't, but I'll ask around. I know that she's been spending most of her time lurking around the House of Healing. Perhaps≈:_

:≈a quick walk around will confirm,: Simaree interrupted, nodding. _:Got it. Thanks, Love. Let me know if you find out anything else.:_

"Well," Simaree began, looking up and noticing that the Dean was also conversing with his Companion, "Let me take a run around the building. Feyan says Onette's been spending most of her time here. Sounds like she was just waiting for him to wake up so she could meet with him."

"Sounds good. We'll wait here, in case he comes back."

"Right! Won't be a moment." Simaree pelted down the hallway, hitting the door at a full run. Her sprint was halted by the harsh sunlight and she threw an arm over her eyes until they adjusted. As she turned the far corner of the building she bumped into a Healer Trainee, knocking the poor child into a sprawl on the ground. "Oh, sorry." Simaree pulled the girl to her feet, only just realizing that the Healer Trainee was barefoot and not female. The kid in front of her, though he had the longest hair she'd ever seen on a male, was assuredly a boy. "Are you okay?"

"Okay... Okay?" he repeated before smiling and waving a hand negligently. "I am not in pain. You are okay?"

The way he responded was a little weird. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied warily to the strange kid and then she remembered what the Dean had told her. "Oh, you're Duo! We've been looking for you."

* * *

Duo cut off a curse and reminded himself not to make a run for it. The Orderly Brigade had finally caught up to him, but if he was going to pass himself off as a harmless kid then he had to act the part. He raised his hands slowly, taking the opportunity to study his captor. The girl was around sixteen with walnut brown eyes and honey-colored, shoulder-length hair that was pulled back into a tail. She was dressed in a uniform identical to the ones Anndreth and Ayden wore, except that hers was in a shade of light gray. If it hadn't been for a slightly upturned nose and the look of absolute victory, she might have been cute.

"I am sorry," he began trying to sound docile. "I want to walk. No more sleeping. Um..." What was the word for "bored?"

"Oh!" The look of victory was somehow replaced by both sympathy and good humor. She took a step back, folding her arms behind her back. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I'm a Herald Trainee, same as you. My name's Simaree."

The girl talked too fast and her strange accent made most of her words unintelligible. "Sorry, I do not understand. Please, again, slower?"

"I said, don't worry, you're not in trouble," she began again, enunciating more clearly but shouting as if he were hard of hearing. "I'm Herald Trainee Simaree! Pleased to meet you!"

"I am Duo Maxwell, Herald Trainee Simaree," he yelled back. "I do not understand Valdemaren very well, but I can hear you!"

"Oh!" Her cheeks grew pink. "I'm sorry."

"Do not worry. We start again. Duo Maxwell." He held out a hand.

She stared suspiciously at the hand.

"Your hand, please?"

"Why?"

"Greeting. It is hand≈ um..." Stupid vocabulary. "Please, give me your hand. I promise I do not bite."

That seemed to calm her apprehension and she thrust out her left hand. Duo held back a smile and pointed to her right. "Other hand." She complied and he grasped it in a firm shake.

"I do not know word. We call it a '_handshake_.' It is used for meeting someone."

"_Handshake_," Simaree repeated. "It's a nice greeting."

Duo was about to agree, but there was a cry from the front of the building. "Simaree! Wait up! I'll come with you!"

"Over here, Alaen!" the girl shouted before addressing Duo again. "That would be why we were looking for you. My friend's been worried about you ever since you were found."

A platinum-haired, pale-skinned boy popped out from the side of the building at a fast jog. He anchored himself on Simaree's sleeve before looking up and catching sight of Duo. His silver eyes bulged and his jaw went slack.

Simaree missed the kid's surprise and began her introduction. "Alaen, this is Du≈"

"_Shinigami_." Duo's shock at hearing his own name drop from the lips of the strange colorless boy was short-lived as the kid's surprise turned to abject terror. The boy shoved Simaree behind himself. "Run, Simaree! That's him! That's _Shinigami_!"

Simaree grabbed the kid's shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "Alaen, what are you talking about? He's just a kid. He's not Death."

Alaen squirmed free and then lodged himself between his friend and his enemy, pinning Duo with a glare. "He's _Shinigami_! Go! Please hurry!"

"Alaen?" the girl pleaded again.

Duo made no move to approach the terrified boy. Unhurried, he spread his hands in an attempt to appear harmless. "I am _Shinigami_," he admitted. "Where did you learn this?"

Now, two sets of eyes held Duo in place. "You can't be, Duo. You don't know what it means. Alaen's just confused."

"I'm not confused and I'm not stupid! That's him!" The boy was shaking in fear and anger.

Duo didn't like this one bit. He'd never uttered that name the entire time he'd been here, but these two had said both _Shinigami_ and Death. How had they known? "Where I come from, _Shinigami_ is the king of Death. My name is Duo Maxwell but my name is _Shinigami_ also. How did you learn this?"

At this confession, Alaen's trembling ceased. "Please, just go, Simaree," he whispered in a strangely calm tone. He stretched his hands, allowing each finger full extension and then pulling them back into hard fists. One of those fists lashed out.

Duo caught the fist, yanking the offending arm around and pinning it against the boy's back. He hooked a foot around his attacker's ankle and sent the boy to the ground, mindful that he didn't break the kid's arm or injure him too badly in the fall. Now that kid was immobile, Duo tried again. "Why do you hit me?"

"Please," begged Alaen, past a deluge of tears. "Please, don't kill us. We can't stop you, but please."

"Kill you?" Duo had never learned the term, but with the word context around it and the air of hopeless defeat surrounding the boy, Duo was pretty damn sure he knew what "kill" meant. What in God's name was going on? "Why would I? I do not want to kill you."

"But you will. It's what you do. I've Seen it."


	8. Drums Keep Pounding Rhythm to the Brain

Author: Rally  
Date: June 12, 2007

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse**  
-Drums Keep Pounding a Rhythm to the Brain-

"But you will. It's what you do. I've Seen it"

A sudden wave of sickness passed through Duo and for just a second or two his vision went black. And then, the fires of Hell rose up around him, engulfing him from every direction. Even above, the night sky burned orange as cinders and smoldering ash rained down like a demonic version of snow, each creating new hellfires upon contact. He fell back on his heels as a cinder landed on his pristine white sleeve. He padded out the tiny puff of flame and realized several things at once: the boy he'd pinned≈and everyone else for that matter≈had disappeared, it was nighttime, when it had just moments before been late morning and he was wearing one of those damned white≈WHITE≈uniforms. Duo doesn't wear white. White was for virgins and brides. And virginal brides. Okay, maybe he didn't want to analyze that thought too thoroughly.

He shook his head and then climbed to his feet, making a quick glance around. There really wasn't much of anything in the vicinity, other than flames and smoke, but if he squinted through the wavering heat, above the heights of the inferno he could make out a tower of the Palace. He was still in Haven.

He took a step forward not entirely sure what he was going to do, but knowing that he had to keep moving. Ahead, in the center of the inferno there was something that felt really familiar. Ten steps brought him to the scorching edge of the fires but he still couldn't make out the figure. His hand instinctively reached up and into the fire.

The flames instantly parted revealing the shadow. Duo looked up, way up, into the face of Death. It was the DeathScythe. The Gundam held out its beam scythe and then casually set about reaping more of the Palace buildings.

Duo couldn't say anything. He could only watch as his partner≈his buddy≈systematically destroyed the place. The 'Scythe turned to start in on the House of Healing. Duo buckled under an onslaught of fear emanating from the direction of the building. Someone inside knew they were about to die. "Stop it!" Duo meant to yell but it came out as a gruff whisper. The Gundam paused, turning to face its Pilot. Duo let out a breath, choked off the waves of emotion still battering his mind, and then gave his partner his biggest grin. "Whattya think yer doin', man? You nearly gave me a heart attack." He reached out to give the 'Scythe a pat and was forced to dodge a swipe of the 'Scythe's beam scythe. The DeathScythe had tried to kill him. He dodged again and again but it was man against mobile suit. The odds were against him.

"_Stop it!_" Duo screamed. He blinked against a sudden intrusion of sunlight and then attempted to bat away the images by squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head vigorously. That proved to be a mistake as it sparked an explosion in his brain. The pain, pounding in time with his heartbeat, helped beat the crap out of the last tendrils of the hallucination. With each dull thud the world around him became clearer. Around thump number four, reality was exposed. The first thing Duo saw was that the kid below him was nearly comatose with either fear or lack of oxygen since Duo was still sitting on top of him. The second thing he saw was that he was nose to pissed off nose with a strange man.

The man was dressed in a white outfit that seemed to be a fancier version of the uniform Ayden and Anndreth wore. He was close to six feet tall with a long tail of dark blond hair and eyes a shining blue. He didn't look silly with his six-foot frame crunched down attempting to get eye level with Duo. Instead, he was a mass of concentrated intimidation. A boot stomped down a mere centimeter from Duo's kneecap. The impact grazed the edge of the fabric of Duo's pants landing with the sound of a sledgehammer hitting stone and felt as if it would have shattered Duo's knee had it connected. What the hell? Did he line the bottom of those suckers with metal? "You stop it," the man growled. "Let go of him!" He raised his boot for another strike. "I won't miss again."

In a normal situation, Duo wouldn't have so much as considered the man's proposal. A little bullet in the head, a little knife blade in the eye and BOOM! Problem solved. But aside from the fact that Duo was weaponless, he honestly wasn't out to make enemies with these people. He released the boy's arm and found his feet, raising his hands above his head for the second time that day. He nodded toward the guy's feet. "Metal on bottom of boots?" It didn't sound as intelligent as he'd hoped. Man, how he missed the ability to shoot off a good quip.

The man gave him a look of miscomprehension but still managed to order, "Back away."

Duo complied, stepping back until he hit the stone wall of the hospital. The man nudged the kid a couple of times with his boot and then squatted down, never taking his eyes off of Duo. "Alaen, you need to get up." The kid blinked a couple of times, focused and then threw himself into the arms of the older man. "Are you all right?" It was only then that it occurred to Duo that he'd understood everything the man had said. He was speaking Standard.

"_How do you know my language?_"

_:I've already explained this, Duo.:_ That was Onette. She shouldered her way past Simaree and took a stand next to her Chosen. _:He's using Mindspeech.:_ The Companion's tone was light as if there was a chuckle tacked on but it hardened as soon as she addressed the man. _:Let up, Jayte! Duo's not about to go around slaughtering the innocent or carrying off untrained Chosen.:_

Duo waved a hand toward Onette. "_Relax, babe. I got this."_ The Companion snickered at the "babe" comment after reading his exact meaning and then nodded for him to continue. "I am not here to harm anyone. I am in a place I do not know. I do not know how I got here. I will go home when I learn how." _But, until then_≈ "We are all in this place together. This can not be changed now. Understand?"

"Of course we understand," came the gentle voice of Dean Ayden. He'd just arrived via Onette's path and he'd brought an army of onlookers with him. "By the way, 'In a place I do not know' is 'lost,' Duo." The Dean smiled at Duo's nod. "No one here intends young Duo any harm. Do we, Jayte?"

The man remained aggressive, snarling, _:As long as he stays away from my Chosen.:_

"He hit me. I stop him. Nothing more."

"That was a brilliant move," stated the man standing immediately to Ayden's right. This man was several inches shorter than the Dean, with a shock of space-black hair and had a body that was clearly sculpted by extensive training in some form of martial arts. It wasn't as if he was muscle bound, the guy had more of a grace-through-power-and-control look to him. As if he could deliver a killing blow with one hand and juggle two raw eggs and a sleeping infant with the other without waking the baby or cracking the eggs. "But it was a bit extreme considering the circumstances."

It was true, but Duo Maxwell never did things half-assed. Duo shrugged, agreeing with the man. Concealing a grin, he pointed to the boy. "He will not hit me again." He tapped his temple. "He will remember."

"And sitting on him for a full five minutes was part of your mental discipline, how exactly?"

Ooh. Good question. That hallucination must have lasted longer than he thought. What was that dream anyway? And now that he thought of the dream, his throbbing headache made a glorious reappearance. He ignored it. "That was≈" Pound. Pound. He attempted to ignore it. "That was≈" Throb. Throb. Bile began its short journey up his esophagus but Duo continued trying to ignore it. "That was≈" Thump. Thump. The bile had stopped rising, but the world gave way to blackness.

_:Duo!:_ he heard Onette shout, before he fell against her soft shoulder. _:Somebody fetch a Healer!:_

* * *

"Backlash." The word fell through the cracks of the quaking surface of Duo's brain. He cautiously opened his eyes.

It was his doctor, Learen. Leaning back on her heels, she issued a set of muffled orders to a girl on her left. The girl nodded and then sprinted off toward the Hospital. "Just what exactly did you do to him? I was going to release him under restrictions." Her hands trembled in anger, but she kept her tone soothing. The trembling ceased as she noticed that he was awake. "Your head's going to hurt for quite some time, yet. We call it backlash shock. Tavi's gone to make some tea that will dull some of the pain." She patted him on the shoulder before addressing the Dean again. "I'm waiting."

"_I'm fine_," Duo replied, too out of it to bother trying to translate it into Valdemaren. "_A little spit and I'll be good as new._"

Learen looked concerned until Onette broadcast an interpretation for him. _:He said he's fine. Some small drool and he'll be brand new. I'm not really sure what that last part means but it came with the image of an arm flexing.:_

The doctor laughed. "That's good enough for me. But, do take it easy. Herald Trainee or not, you're still just a boy. All right?"

Take it easy? No such possibility. And you're just a boy? Boy, do these people have a thing or two to learn. And what was a Herald Trainee? "I will try."

Her smile transformed into a knowing grin. "Try hard is all I ask." Duo nodded. "Now, what happened?"

"I think it was my fault." The small voice came from Mr. Menace's≈that is, Jayte's≈general direction. It must have been Alaen. "When he knocked me to the ground I had another dream, but before I got too far into it, it vanished. I think he got stuck in my dream."

"Is that even possible?" Duo's head still hurt too much for him to bother trying to figure out where that question had come from.

"Yes, quite," responded Ayden. "Is this true, young Duo. Did you have a dream?"

Did he have a dream? Did he ever! "Yes."

"Would you like to tell us about it?"

_:If I say "no," do I get a spanking?:_ That was for Onette alone. He needed his sense of humor and right now Onette was the only one who could comprehend his jokes.

_:I'll give you a spanking.:_ she mock scolded him. _:Now, answer the Dean's question.:_

_:Party pooper.:_ "No."

The Dean conceded with a nod. "Very well, then. How about we get you settled in to your new room? And Trainee Alaen, come by my office tomorrow before your first class. We'll rearrange your schedule to accommodate your new Gifts class. Projection is a serious matter."


	9. History 101: The Founding

Author: Rally  
Date: June 21, 2007

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

Chapter Specific A/N: To all you Misty Lackey fans out there, sorry about making you slog through the story of the Founding, yet again. I was going to abbreviate it but then I realized that it needed to be in there for the people reading this who haven't read any of the Herald books. I swear I shall make it as painless as possible and if I have gotten any of it wrong (I have three copies but at this time I can't find "Arrows of the Queen" to cross-reference) just let me know and I'll fix it.

**On A Pale Horse**  
-History 101: The Founding-

The tea Dr. Learen prescribed, though bitter and left a nasty aftertaste, wasn't nearly as bad as Duo had anticipated. On the other hand it didn't do a damn thing to soothe the searing migraine. Not that Duo expected it would. A major part of G's conditioning regimen involved exposure to non-lethal doses of poisons, chemicals and drugs in order to build up Duo's tolerance. It wasn't likely that a drug derived (probably) solely from a plant or two would do anything at all to dull Duo's nerves. His only alternative was to attempt a nap in his newly appointed bedroom. As he had ascertained that the situation at the moment was mostly stable, this alternative was acceptable.

He woke with a start to a knock on his door. He sat up, swung his feet to the floor and gingerly rubbed the sleeping goo out of his eyes with the butt of his hand. The headache was mostly gone. It was survived by what felt like a heavy bruising behind his eyes that ached if he closed his eyes too tightly or pressed on them, but aside from that he was in full working order. He crossed the distance to the door and grasped the handle, and pulled just as a second set of knocks died out.

Simaree stood framed by the doorway, arm just lowering from her knock and gaze fixed firmly eye-level, a look of stolid determination on her face. "Afternoo≈" she began choking on the greeting, turning a glaring shade of red and then flipping around so fast she sent her ponytail lashing past Duo's nose. "Excuse me!" she choked out. "I'll uh... I'll come back later!"

Duo fought not to chuckle at her reaction, not that he had any clue as to why she was acting the way she was, but that look was hilarious. "Please, do not run." Simaree had gotten all of two steps before she halted. "Why do you come here?"

She replied though she refused to face him. "The Dean asked me to visit you. He said by talking with you, your Valdemaren would improve. He also asked me to go over a few things with you and answer any of your questions."

Well, that explained why she was here? "And you run away, why?"

"Uh..." By way of explanation she flicked a finger over her shoulder. "You're uh..."

"I am what?"

"Naked," she finished.

Duo was not familiar with the word. "I do not know 'naked'."

_:Duo, what on Earth are you doing to Feyan's poor Chosen?:_ The inquiry came with a mental chuckle. _:He says she's about to die of embarrassment and that if I could prevent my Chosen from killing his Chosen he'd be most grateful.:_

_:I have no idea.:_ He resisted shaking his head. _:She's acting like I answered the door in my underwear.:_ He gave himself a quick once over. Yup. Pants were still on.

There was another mental chuckle, a slight pause and then a chortle. _:Duo put on your shirt.:_

_:My shirt?:_ So, he was shirtless, big deal.

_:It **is** a big deal, Flasher.:_ Onette still hadn't completely stopped laughing. _:To her, you just answered the door butt-naked. Now, get dressed and find out what the poor thing needs.:_

_:Yes, ma'am,:_ Duo responded, already nabbing the discarded shirt from a nearby chair and slipping it over his head.

"Naked." Despite her embarrassment, the girl was attempting to clarify. "It means 'without clothes'."

"Yes, yes," Duo dismissed. "Onette told me. I am sorry. It is safe to look, now."

The girl turned slowly around, eyes clenched tight, before just barely squeaking one eyelid open.

Duo didn't wait for her to deem his attire appropriate; with a grand sweep of an arm and a low bow he invited, "Please come in."

Her eyes slid warily open. She eyed him nervously and then slipped into the room, dropping down into the chair Duo indicated.

Duo scraped an empty chair across the expanse of wood flooring, plopped onto his bed and propped his feet up on the chair. "What did Dean Ayden ask you to go over with me?"

Simaree smoothed her hair back and then clasped her hands, resting them on her knees. "He asked me to give you a little History lesson. It should give you a better understanding of Valdemar, the Companions and Heralds."

"This is one I do not know... Heralds?" And he didn't, though he'd heard the word often enough since waking up.

But his curiosity was not to be satiated. "It's easier to understand if you let me tell it from the beginning." Duo gave her a hand sign to continue. "It began about thirteen hundred years ago, in a kingdom far to the east. A very powerful, very selfish, and very cruel monarch ruled this kingdom. One of his Barons≈Valdemar≈was a kindly mage who cared deeply for his people. He soon became fed up of the mistreatment of his people and decided to take any of his people willing to follow as far west as their feet could carry them. They traveled for years and eventually stopped here to establish a new kingdom.

"By the time Valdemar was a smoothly running kingdom, King Valdemar was a graying old man. He had faith in the decency of his son and he could trust him to maintain the peace and prosperity of the kingdom he'd created. What he couldn't guarantee was that his son's son or his son thereafter would rule in kindness. So, one Midsummer's Eve, he cast a spell and called out to every god and goddess, every deity he had a name for and then for the ones that he didn't, anyone that was willing to listen to his plea. He called out and asked for a way to keep his kingdom free of a heartless ruler. The spell was completed the next morning at dawn. The call was answered in the form of three equine figures that emerged from a grove of pine trees in the center of what we now call Companion's Field. The three 'horses' were the first of the Companions. The first bonded with King Valdemar, the second with his son, the heir and the third with his Herald."

Duo took a moment to ponder the "bonding" Simaree spoke of. The memory of falling into sapphire eyes returned to him, that feeling of love and acceptance surrounded him once again and he ceased wondering what the girl had meant about bonding. But there was still something about her story that didn't seem right. "The Companions force us to be nice?"

She cocked her head to the side for a second before responding. "No, that's not right. The Companions have the ability to see into a person's soul and measure it. They Choose those who are innately good and who have the needed skills to protect this country."

Now, he really didn't like it. First of all, there wasn't a thing "innately good" about him. "Innately" he was a terrorist who accepted orders to steal, destroy and assassinate and if anyone saw him≈innocent or not≈he'd eliminate them. Second, Onette had Chosen him to protect _her_ country without so much as a "Would you please?" Back home, he accepted his fate, his fight. He'd even reluctantly admit that he'd enjoyed it. He had a reason. He had a goal. He had a purpose. But here, nothing had anything to do with him. This wasn't his fight. This wasn't his purpose. This wasn't his goal.

And he'd been tricked. He'd been suckered into believing all that crap about acceptance and love! Only now did he discover the true reason he'd been Chosen; Onette wanted a soldier. A destroyer. She Chose him because he was Death.

As soon as the thought escaped his head, Onette was there, reassuring him. _:That's wrong, Duo. I didn't Choose you to fight my war.:_

He protested, frowning and crossing his arms in an adolescent tantrum. _:Not, according to the history.:_

"I'm sorry. Did I speak to fast? I can start over if you like."

Duo blinked, focusing on the concerned expression of the girl before him. He'd forgotten she was there. _Nice, Maxwell. Way to watch your back._ He shook his head and held up a finger. "One minute."

Simaree took the statement for a request and nodded silently.

_:I told you before,:_ Onette began reasonably, _:I've waited eons for you.:_ She paused giving the thought a moment to sink in. _:I didn't Choose you to force you to protect 'my' country. If you don't want to be a Herald just tell the Dean 'no.' I Chose you so that _I_ could protect _you_ and that's not a duty that I'm about to give up on now, Idiot.:_

Well, if that line didn't deflate him nothing would and for no apparent reason that "Idiot" tagged on at the end had him smiling, his angst-ridden tirade half-forgotten. He supposed that it was just the familiarity of the insult. _:Nobody, protects Death.:_ "_I'm invincible,_" he mumbled.

To be continued...


	10. Data Exchange & New Friends

Date: January 28, 2009

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse**  
-Data Exchange & New Friends-

Duo swallowed back a yawn resisting the urge to give himself the luxury of a full-bodied stretch. Apparently, Simaree's version of "a little history lesson" didn't exactly mesh with his, as the girl had kept him cooped up in his room for hours. Her monologue on Companions, Heralds and their duties didn't conclude until a bell sounded and she declared that it was dinnertime.

Duo tried not to bellyache too much about the lecture because though it was long and boring, it was damned informative. He now had a good idea of what it was that Heralds did. They seemed to be the monarch's—in this case, the King's—personal "go-to guys." They were pretty much trained to be jacks-of-all-trades as far as keeping a sizable kingdom in working order went. They were law-enforcement, judges, news-carriers, teachers, soldiers, spies, diplomats; the list just went on and on. They were whatever it was the King needed at the moment and it appeared that the powers that be gave the Companions the ability to predict when a major problem was on the horizon. As it turned out, they would choose the individuals needed to solve the conflict or if the conflict was unsolvable, they would Choose those who were able to protect Valdemar as best as it could be.

Simaree offered to escort him to the common room, though upon first site Duo dubbed it the "Cafeteria." It was easily the size of the biggest cafeteria in the largest school he'd attended on Earth, but it wasn't nearly as packed. "It's still early, yet," supplied his guide. "Let's grab a table while they're free." She gestured toward a table in the very center of the room, but before they'd made it halfway there, Simaree was flagged down by a couple of Herald Trainees—given that they were also dressed in gray—that had just arrived via the opposite entrance. Both were guys. The brunet looked to be about seventeen, with burly, football player stature and a grin that revealed perfectly straight, gleaming white teeth. The blond was younger, perhaps fifteen, with slightly wavy hair that fell past his shoulders and a slight frame that almost made him look delicate.

"So, this is the new guy?" asked Quarterback of the Shiny Teeth, giving Duo the obligatory new student once-over.

"Yup," replied Simaree happily. She then turned to Duo. "Duo this is Grennon," she gestured to Perfect Smile and Grennon nodded. "And this is Keres," this time she waved to the other and Keres inclined his head slowly and repeating Duo's name. "Gren, Keres, this is Duo."

"Pleased to meet you, Grennon and Keres." The awkward words were entirely too polite for Duo usual laid-back sensibilities, but he trudged through the introductions with a grin to match Gren's.

"We heard you were a foreigner," stated Grennon not unkindly as he gestured for Duo to sit. Duo took the seat and the other three followed suit. "I'm from Calfgreer. That's way southwest of here. Simaree's from Evanscreek, about a four day ride west of here and Keres was born and raised here in Haven." As Grennon talked, he waived down a server and proceeded to fill Duo's plate with what looked like chicken, potatoes and a hunk of dark bread. "Where are you from?" Duo could see a good three-quarters of the ears around the room orienting on Gren. "You don't look Rethwellan or Shin'a'in and with the way the adults are hushing up any information on you I half-suspected you were Karsite, but again, you don't have the look."

Duo took a moment to enjoy the rise in tension in the room. It wasn't just the ears of gray-clad students focusing so intently on his answer, but full Heralds in white were also trying to hear his response. The evidence was proving that Grennon's statement about Duo being hush-hush was absolutely true. It really wouldn't hurt to tell the truth, these people didn't know satellites from moon rocks and so far, they'd been quick to tell him about themselves. He took a bite of what turned out to in fact be potato before responding. "I am from a place called L2. It is a small um... country," or a very large city.

"What's it like there?" asked Gren, waving a forkful of chicken. "If you don't mind my asking."

"Dirty," was Duo's first response and then he added, "Loud. It is a place full of people who have little, but most of us did not mind."

"Where is it? I have never heard of the place," this was from Keres, who hadn't touched his food since Duo began talking.

Duo shrugged. "I do not know where I am or how I got here. I can not say how to get home."

There was silence for a moment until Gren broke it by pointing to Duo's chest and asking another question. "Is that a symbol of your god?"

"God?" His gaze followed Gren's finger down to his golden crucifix and he smiled lightly. "A god. Not **my** god." At the trio of perplexed looks he clarified. "I lived in a home for children who had no parents. The people who ran the home were servants of this god and though I do not believe in their god, I wear this to remember them." He could see the moment that it dawned on them that his caretakers were no longer among the living, so he took measures to prevent the next inevitable question. "You are very understanding of gods other than your own. Why is that?"

"Well," began Simaree, "you'd normally get this in Orientation, but I don't think it'd hurt to tell you now. Valdemar is made up of people from many countries and religions. As the first law of Valdemar is 'there is no one true way' we allow others to integrate into our society without being forced into our mold."

Ah, so Valdemar is a melting pot, much like the old United States of America. Which thought brought a question to mind. "Does that not cause problems?"

"Problems?" asked Simaree.

"Yes." Duo dropped his fork and brandished a fist. "My god is real and your god is fake! Death to the fake god believers!" He picked up the fork again, shoveling in more potato. "Like that," he explained past the mouthful.

"Sometimes," admitted Gren. "Mostly in the larger cities. The more rural areas tend to worship the same gods, so there isn't usually any conflict. And, in theory, the larger cities should be easier to keep that conflict to a minimum. There are more people involved, but we've also got more personnel in place to mediate." And true to the conversation's previous form, Gren turned the question back onto Duo. "You have a different god from your caretakers. How do your people deal with religious diversity?"

Well, as far as his religious differences were concerned, he was a special case. Duo didn't tend to go prattling on to strangers about his reasoning for believing only in the God of Death and the question **had** been specifically about how his people handle religious differences, so it would be perfectly logical to answer only the question. "My people are less concerned with religion than they are with the people trying to control us."

"Trying to control you how?" asked Simaree.

Duo took a moment to order his thoughts into the right vocabulary, or at least as close as he could manage given the deep conversation and his limited dictionary. "My people do not have a king. The people who do the job of the king are chosen by us. Our people in charge are being told by a bigger, more strong country that we must be controlled by them. We do not agree, so now there is much fighting."

"Who is it that you fight against?" asked Simaree. "Maybe we know of them and can help you find your home."

Duo's light chuckle was slightly bitter. "You do not. Trust me," he replied with absolute certainty.

Grennon took that as a conclusion and changed the topic to one that should have been safer. "And what do you do in your L2 home? I'm gonna guess that it isn't the family business, since you've no faith in their god."

Duo's plans for keeping his image that of an ordinary teenager were shot earlier, due to little Alaen's tirade, so there really was no reason not to tell the absolute truth. "I work as a soldier."

Grennon raised an eyebrow, while Keres just managed to give a look of disbelief that he backed up with, "Aren't you a little young to be a soldier?"

Duo didn't rise to the comment; he remained calm, trying a bite of chicken. "From what I have heard about your society, it is not all that uncommon for a fifteen-year-old to take up arms."

"Fifteen?" This time Duo wasn't expecting the disbelief. "You can't be more than twelve."

Well, Duo _did_ suppose that he was a little small, but there was no call for that reaction. "Fifteen," he replied, holding up both hands, fingers splayed and then dropping one hand and raising each of the fingers on the remaining hand one at a time, just so Keres wouldn't think he was confused about the counting system. "Same as you," he stated confidently and he proceeded to answer Keres' question before it was asked. "Part of my soldier training is to be able to guess ages and skills that enemies may have." And to make his point, "Grennon, sometimes named Gren, is good at dealing with people. He can ask questions without raising alarm that you could not. He can make strangers calm with that shiny smile of his and you Keres, born and raised in the capital city of Haven practice an agile form of fighting with small weapons, like knives. You have a bad memory and—" _an over-inflated sense of self_. Okay, Duo, don't be rude. "You like a crowd's attention," he finished as diplomatically as possible.

Even though he hadn't outright insulted the guy, Duo braced for a tirade. He was pleasantly surprised. Keres merely closed his eyes and nodded. "Forgive me. I was out of line."

Duo waved a hand. "Forgiven."

* * *

The rest of dinner proved uninformative and uneventful and though Simaree, Gren and Keres invited him to join them for a tour of the dormitories so that he could be introduced to everyone, he decided to turn in for the night. His room proved to be nicer than he expected now that he had a chance to check it out. The trunk at the foot of his bed held his own clothing and belongings, including all of his weapons. The clothes had been washed and the shirt had been expertly mended. His shoes had seen better days but appeared to be freshly cleaned as well.

He shrugged into his own clothing, grateful to get out of the borrowed ones and then fished through the chest for his pocket flashlight and gun.

_:A copper for your thoughts?:_ asked Onette.

Duo picked up his gun and examined it, carefully checking the barrel and clip before setting it back into the footlocker. _:Mind taking me to where you found me?:_

_:No, not at all.:_ She didn't even sound surprised at his sudden request.

* * *

JUST A SHORT AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know it's been a really, really long time since I last updated. I have no excuse for making you wait so long and I'm honestly sorry about that. This chapter doesn't have much in it but I'm already working on the next chapter and I'll do my best to have it up in the next week or two. I also want to thank everyone that left a review or comment or favorited this story. It means a lot to me. You guys are the reason I keep writing.


	11. Moonlit Silhouette

Date: February 25, 2009

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse**  
-Moonlit Silhouette-

"_Right here?_" Duo pointed to the remains of a cobble pathway that had gone around what was once a pretty impressive temple. The cobbles sported a stain that, in the moonlight, appeared as a black circle, nearly three feet in diameter.

Onette stepped toward Duo and gave the area a long look. _:Yes,:_ she replied, dancing back away from the stain.

Duo braced himself on the wall, took a moment to regain his balance and then crouched down. The walk across Companion's Field had winded him and worn his legs to about the consistency of finger gelatin. It just went to prove that he hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, yet. One-handed, he fished the flashlight out of his pocket and clicked it on. The stain remained solid black in the yellowish beam of light and even after several passes of the light it still refused to give him any clues as to the why or how of his situation. He edged a bit closer to get a better look and was hit by a heaviness that pressed down and grew stronger until it almost became a physical weight. Waving it off as simple fatigue from the trek across the field, he took a deep breath and rested a moment before moving onto the stain itself to get closer to the center. The weight compounded as if gravity had suddenly increased tenfold. He staggered to the side, unable to hold himself up and then caught himself with one hand on the ground.

As soon as his hand touched blackened cobbles, the stain flashed a deep, ominous red and the world heaved up, turned over and then fell away. He could Hear Onette's frantic cry, but even that fell away with the Earth.

His world became an encompassing, swirling maelstrom of that red light, fear and pain. After a few seconds the red became a mist and then the mist became images of human faces. The faces were all contorted visages, pleading, desperate and begging for something. Over and over, begging and pleading. Their voices were lost in the cyclone of agony for what seemed like an eternity. Duo clamped his eyes shut against the churning images, shutting him off from the suffering. That was when one voice broke through.

"Please," the voice begged and the word rose up, repeating from a hundred—no, a thousand—of those red-mist faces at once. "Please."

"Please!"

"Please, stop!"

"Please, no more!"

"Please! Please! Please!"

Duo clapped his hands over his ears. It did nothing to block out the sound. "Please, let me die!"

"You shall." This was a new voice, a voice that sounded strangely familiar, but dripping with uncharacteristic cruelty. This voice had never been so cold. "You shall," it repeated, "When I allow it and only when I allow it."

"_Please, stop!_" he cried as something latched onto his arm and pulled him backward. He struggled against his captor but only managed to flail uselessly.

_:Duo!:_ came a bright voice as his arm was released. _:Duo, damn it, wake up!:_

He scrambled up, trying to get to his feet but only achieving a squat. He lashed around and finally succeeded in focusing on reality. "Onette?"

_:Yes, Onette,:_ she snapped, before she got control of her panic. _:What happened?:_ she asked anxiously.

His eyes flashed around and he realized that he was still at the ruins. It had apparently only been a few moments since he had fallen. Onette rushed to his side when his legs faltered again and he grabbed her leg for support. With that contact, all the fear and pain passed out of Duo in a single burst and he allowed the strength in his legs to collapse fully. He dropped back into the grass and for a few precious moments just allowed his pounding heart to steady. One hand, the one that had made contact with the black cobbles, moved of its own will up, backlighting itself in the pale beams the crescent moon. "_I don't know_," he admitted, examining the moonlit silhouette and flexing his fingers. "_It was like what happened this morning, only completely different._"

_:Well, that explains everything,:_ scoffed the Companion. She settled down next to his head took the liberty of softly nuzzling his hair in a comforting gesture. _:Different, how? And what, exactly, __**did**__ happen this morning anyway.:_

Duo sighed and mentally tried to distance himself from the waking dream—both of the waking dreams. They disturbed him on levels that he wasn't comfortable dealing with. Dreams were just dreams and didn't warrant any type of acknowledgement. Still, he found himself telling the story in as few words as possible. "_This morning when I touched that kid, it was like I had been transported to the future or something. I was myself and I was on the Palace grounds, but everything was burning. I stepped into the flames and they parted and when I looked up..._"

_:When you looked up,:_ Onette prompted, when he didn't continue for several moments.

When he looked up the 'Scythe had tried to kill him. He dropped his hand to his chest and then rolled onto his side to face the Companion. "_I'm not sure how much of it you'll understand._"

_:Tell me as if I will,:_ she suggested. _: If it's necessary, you can give me the details later.:_

Duo nodded. "_It was the DeathScythe. The 'Scythe was burning and destroying everything. I told it to stop, not that I thought it would do any good, but for some reason it __**did**__ stop, but only so that it could attack __**me**__. I shouted for it to stop again and that was when I woke up. It was like a scene playing out, but one that I could participate in. What just happened here was, I don't know. It just __**was**__. It was feelings and pictures and words, all swirling together. It was just a bunch of faces, a bunch of people pleading in agony to die._"

Onette didn't say anything immediately. She just lay in silence for a minute before asking, _:Was that all?:_

"_No, there was one voice that was clearer than the others, different from the others. It told them that they would die only when he __**allowed**__ them to die._"

_:He? Do you know who it was?:_

Duo shook his head. "_I'm not sure. It sounded like someone I should recognize, but I couldn't place it._:

_:And was there anything else that might help?:_

Duo replayed the experience once again, trying to remember as much as he could, but there wasn't anything else he could come up with until he tried cross-examining it with his dream from that morning. They had only one thing in common other than that they were both about destruction and death. His hand. He had touched both Alaen and the weird black stain.


	12. The Answer is No

Author: Rally  
Date: November 9, 2009

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse**  
- The Answer is "No" -

Duo slept hard through the night. The long day, the migraine and his injury were really taking their toll and Duo's body had to make up for all the lost energy somehow. He didn't expect it to affect him at the level it managed, though, as he awoke to someone grabbing his shoulder. The gun was out, a bullet chambered and the barrel pressed up against his assailant's face before Duo's eyes finished focusing. There was a slight yelp and when Duo's vision finally cleared he found a frozen Keres, hand still on Duo's shoulder.

"Apologies," the boy offered sounding very much sincere but less frightened than most men would be with a semi-automatic digging into his cheekbone. Of course, he had no idea what exactly that little weapon was capable of. "I knocked but you didn't respond."

Duo let out a breath, lowered the gun and tried very hard to remember the words he needed to communicate. "I am sorry. Please, **do not** touch me if I sleep." He made the statement as calm as he could but truth be told if Keres understood Standard the kid would have gotten a verbal lashing. "It is not safe."

Keres released his shoulder and stepped back. "Again, I apologize. I'll refrain in the future."

"Thank you." Duo had already hit the safety, stuffed the gun back under his pillow and sat up. A quick glance out the window confirmed that it was just after dawn. The kid must be is escort for the day. "It is time for breakfast?"

The boy nodded. "Bath and then breakfast. You have a meeting with the Dean after that. Simaree asked me to wake you; she didn't mention anything about you..." He trailed off for a moment before biting his bottom lip and giving Duo a look that was almost sad. "You really **are** a soldier, aren't you? My father acted the same way when he came home after a year defending the border."

"Yes, I am," he replied in all seriousness. "I **am** sorry. I did not mean to threaten you."

Keres shook his head. "It's fine. I told you, I've been through this with my father. I know it's not your fault."

"Thank you." Duo just accepted the apology and moved on. Keres really did seem to understand and looked as if he might even help to keep the same thing from happening again with someone else. As Duo started getting dressed, Keres decided to change the subject as well. "If you don't mind my asking, that weapon of yours, what is it?"

Well, Duo didn't really think that the kid could pass up **that** question. It would have been his first and foremost question had their positions been reversed. Duo smiled and reached over to pull the item in question out for display. "It is named a _gun_. You want to learn how it works?"

The boy's dark blue eyes fixed onto the weapon and widened ever so slightly. "Yes, I would," he said before frowning hard and tearing his gaze away to look at Duo. "Later, though. There's no time now. This afternoon?"

Duo shrugged and returned the weapon to its hiding place, but that look of longing and expectation was too much for even a toughened soldier to deny for long. "_Sure_. Yes, if Ayden does not keep me locked up all day."

Keres smiled. "That's **Dean** Ayden to you, young 'un," he teased.

"He is not **my** Dean," Duo shot back, lightly.

Keres snickered and shook his head. "It's all a matter of time, my good man. I've heard that the Dean has taken quite a liking to you. I even heard that he called you 'brilliant.'"

Duo shrugged, putting on his most serious of faces. "I can not blame him. He knows perfect when he sees perfect."

Keres gaped for a moment, almost believing Duo's put-on and then, detecting Duo's ruse, grinned. "You're such a narcissist!"

Having finished dressing during the banter, Duo dropped an arm over Keres' shoulder and led them both out of the room. "It is not fair for you to use insults that I do not know."

"It means: Someone who is in love with himself or his own beauty. Someone who is prideful, pompous or egotistical. Someone who thinks they are better than others."

"Oh. The problem with this word is that I do not **think** I am better, I **know** I am."

"My point exactly."

* * *

The promised bath and breakfast rushed by without Duo discovering anything new. Keres had delivered Duo to the Dean's office, instructed him to wait until he was invited in and then rushed off to his own duties for the day. He didn't have long to wait as the door swung inward just moments after Keres had departed. The young girl exiting the room gave him a small smile and then nodded. "Your turn," she said in a tiny, imp-like voice that Duo had to strain to hear. "Dean says to go on in."

Duo nodded back. "Thank you."

She just nodded again, turned away and headed down to the doors at the end of the corridor.

He gave a wave to the retreating figure and then entered the office. If there was ever an office that screamed, "This is a School Principal's Office," more than Ayden's did Duo had never graced its presence. The only things missing were the framed diplomas and the paddle board. Duo got the sudden feeling that he'd been caught sneaking into the girl's locker room and was about to face retribution.

"Ah, Welcome, Young Duo." Ayden's gentle smile greeted Duo as the Dean gestured for his guest to take a seat, opposite the oversized desk.

Duo nodded and then flopped down into the center chair. He knew what the meeting was going to be about. He knew that it was pretty much a given that anyone Chosen would become a Herald. Ayden was aiming for Duo's consent in the matter and probably wasn't going to take "no" for an answer no matter what Onette had told him.

The Dean folded his hands on the desktop and allowed the smile to temporarily recede. "I would guess that you suspect the reason I've called you here today."

That was funny. This conversation was following the exact same route that Duo's last three or four visits to various principal's offices had gone. That phantom hand-in-the-cookie-jar feeling twitched again. Duo ignored it and answered the Dean's implied question. "You want me to agree to become a Herald."

"Yes, we want you to agree to become a Herald," Ayden confirmed. "Do you understand what this entails?"

"Mostly," he admitted with a shrug. "Simaree told me much about it and Onette told me more, but this is not something that I can do."

Ayden nodded as if he anticipated Duo's answer. He didn't at all display the shock, anger or disappointment that Duo was expecting. "Do you mind explaining your reasoning?"

Duo shrugged again. "The office of Herald is a lifelong term. If I agree, you will train me and depend on me to be **here** when you need me but the place I **need** to be now is home. My country is at war, my home threatened and though I am stuck here, I am the one most able to protect it. I need to get home. That is my biggest concern. I am thankful that you saved my life and I will do what I can to repay that service, but I can not agree to something that I know I will abandon as soon as I learn how to get home." Onette was kind enough to drop him a few key bits of vocabulary to help make that speech a bit more intelligible. Duo Sent her a quick "thank you." He hadn't even been aware that she'd been listening in up until then.

"That's a perfectly reasonable argument." Duo had come in expecting Ayden to put up more of a struggle but the Dean was still unreasonably placid. "This argument, though, is entirely more considerate than necessary."

Ah, there it is! Now, the fight was beginning! Unfortunately, Duo wasn't exactly sure what Ayden's next point was going to be.

To be continued...


	13. A Sound Thrashing

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse**  
- A Sound Thrashing -

Duo sat up a bit straighter. He had come here to deliver his firm no, all the while knowing that the Dean wouldn't accept it. Even though, at first, it seemed as if Ayden had, he was now presenting his counter-argument. It really didn't matter what the Dean was about to say, Duo had no intentions of becoming a Herald. However, if he wanted to figure out how he'd ended up in Valdemar in the first place, he still needed to find a way to stay on Palace grounds. That meant, he had to stay in Ayden's good favor and **that** meant that he had to at least hear the man out.

"I do not understand."

Ayden gave him a small smile before continuing. "We didn't ask you to be considerate of our needs, though I'm glad to know that you've got it in you. Did you really think that we wouldn't want you to return to your home if that is what you desire? Did you think that we wouldn't help you in that endeavor?"

Duo kept silent. That was **exactly** what he had thought but admitting it out loud would have been beyond rude. At this point, he was pretty sure that Ayden wouldn't take much offense but the question was would he take enough offense to withdraw his offer of support.

"I see you do," Ayden surmised, not unkindly. "I assure you that we take your problems as seriously as our own and helping you to find your way home is a priority."

"**Is** a priority, not **will be** if I become one of your Heralds?" Duo challenged.

Ayden didn't take even a second to think it over. "Is. You want to go home and we will help you, if we can. Your choosing to join the Heralds is irrelevant in that matter."

"Why?" Duo hadn't meant to ask it out loud, but the question needed to be asked. There was no reason these people should be helping him. If anything, he should have been sitting in a jail cell awaiting punishment or been tossed out on the streets with no knowledge of where he was or what was going on. There **had** to be more to it. No government in the world would take kindly to finding a stranger, even a half-dead, unconscious stranger, within the secured walls of their states grounds, not to mention offering to assist him. "Why would you want to help me? You get nothing from it."

"Duo, do you really understand the significance of Onette Choosing you?"

Okay, where had that subject change come from? He dredged up his history lesson from the day before. "Companions Choose Heralds, but--"

"No, buts," the Dean interrupted. "Companions Choose Heralds and they do not Choose wrongly. We Heralds accept all who are Chosen without prejudice, be they male, female, young, old, rich, poor, thieves, murderers or the God of Death, Himself. Onette Chose you and now you are like kin."

Duo's stomach dropped at the mention of the God of Death, but Ayden didn't give him a chance to react.

"We ask you to train as a Herald because we trust that that is what is needed, for you as well as for us."

Duo felt a pull that drew his gaze down to his right hand. It sat cold on his leg and that image made him think back to both of the visions he'd experienced the day before. That nagging sensation of almost dread returned prickling along the back of his neck and that voice, that cold, cruel voice, whispered its chilling promise again. "What if you are wrong?"

"Duo, my boy," Ayden replied, almost cheerfully and yanking Duo out of his dark musings, "Companions are never wrong."

"Never" was a pretty harsh word. No one was **never** wrong, but it seemed as if Ayden believed it completely. Duo shook off the lingering sense of dread and leveled his focus back on the Dean. "You are not going to let me leave until I say yes, are you?"

Now, Ayden gave him a smile full of humor with just a touch of encouragement. "I figure I can keep this argument up until at least midnight, before relenting and offering you a place to stay until you find a way home. I'm really not trying to coerce you. Either way, you won't be left to fend for yourself. If you don't decide to become a Herald, I'll admit, you probably will have more time to investigate how you got here, but you may not gain enough knowledge to discover the means of remedying that situation. From what I've learned where you come from is **very** different from here and discovering those differences might be necessary for you to succeed. If you do, if nothing else, you will be able to learn enough about our culture so that you no longer feel like an outsider."

"And when I leave in a month? Or a year? Or two years?" Damn, how he hoped it didn't take him two years to get home. There wouldn't be anything left to go home to. "You will not for a moment think that spending time to train and money to feed me was a waste?"

"No, that would never be a waste," Ayden replied with such sincerity that Duo knew, without a doubt, that he **meant** it. Ayden well and truly believed what he said.

It was all Duo could manage to keep his expression from displaying his outright surprise. "You are the strangest people I have met." Or the stupidest, but Duo was certain they weren't stupid; perhaps entirely too trusting, but not stupid. Well, the core of his objection just got soundly thrashed and trampled and then thrashed again. They weren't going to force him to stay. Hell, they weren't even going to **object** to him leaving when he figured out a way home. He had no reason not to agree. Aside from that, Ayden was right. He needed to learn more about this place and that wasn't going to happen while he was sulking in his room, mooching off the kingdom's coffers. "All right. I will do it."

To be continued...


	14. Hot Topic

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_ indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse**  
- Hot Topic -

All day Simaree had felt the odd sensation of eyes on her, glances stolen, but gone before she had the chance to locate the source. In the morning, she had chalked it up to sleepiness, as mornings really didn't agree with her on a massive level. By noon, she was sure that the gazes were real, but she still was unable to identify the cause and it was starting to piss her off. By early afternoon, her anger melted into exhaustion and she found that she no longer cared. If people wanted to stare, she'd let them and if they wanted to hide the fact that they were staring, so be it.

By the time she made it to her last class of the day, she had only enough energy to gaze longingly out the glazed glass windows of Herald Miran's History class. The thought that in a mere Candlemark she would be out in the sunshine with Feyan, free from roaming eyes was enough to steel her effort to yank away from that particular siren-call. Class was nearly set to start when she realized that the looks she had felt all morning had collected themselves into a tidy little group in the form of her classmates. Each of the nine other students had a level of expectation in his or her eyes that Simaree couldn't comprehend. A new sliver of irritation pricked at the back of her neck and she felt an eyebrow rise. "Have I sprung a second head?"

There was silence for a good minute before a third year by the name of Lani spoke up in an awed voice. "We heard that you met him."

The word "him" was so full of abject wonder that it took Simaree a moment to decipher who the hell it was that she supposedly met. Of course, it was about Duo. He seemed to be the Collegium's newest curiosity.

"The demon," supplied Suaran, one of Simaree's year-mates. Simaree felt her eyebrow pop again. Did he just imply that Duo is a demon? A demon? Really? Suaran was much too intelligent to honestly consider that.

"He's not a demon, he's a **Karsite**," retorted Lani in a scathing tone. The look she cast Suaran would have melted iron on a cold day. She then fixed her attention back on Simaree, demanding, without words, confirmation of her statement.

Simaree forced her rebellious brow to rest, licked her lips and then stood. "If you're babbling on about Duo, I **have** met him and he's not **either**." She met the eyes of each of her classmates in turn, lingering on the two offenders the longest. "I can understand that you might think Duo's from Karse, as he is foreign, but where in the world did you get the idea that he's a **demon**?"

Without hesitation, Suaran volunteered one theory. "**Somebody** might have said something about the matter yesterday evening."

Somebody, huh? And yesterday evening? Man, she hoped the suspicion gnawing at the base of her skull was wrong. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Alaen, would it?"

Suaran hesitated a moment, brushed a stray lock of dark blond hair out of his eyes and then nodded. The other five boys in the class nodded along with him.

Simaree tapped her forehead a couple of times, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for Alaen's newfound need to badmouth Duo. He hadn't so much thought about talking behind someone else's back before Duo showed up. Even though Alaen was scared of him...

But that was it, wasn't it? Alaen was absolutely terrified of Duo and Duo hadn't done anything to dissuade that fear. Duo had only confirmed Alaen's accusation by admitting that he was _Shinigami_. Simaree was hoping that the fact that Duo had been Chosen would make Alaen realize that Duo was **not** a threat. Clearly she was wrong. Fortunately for her current situation, that argument **would** work against the rumor mill.

"Listen everyone, Duo was **Chosen** by Onette. Do you really think a Companion would Choose a **demon**?"

Simaree was only half-startled when Suaran burst out with, "He was **what?**"

"Chosen," she replied flatly, allowing her tone to speak for her growing frustration with her classmates, "By Companion Onette. Why the hell else would she have screamed her head off, waking **everyone**, when he first showed up injured?" She exhaled loudly, crossed her arms and flopped down in her seat, indicating that the conversation was over. She wanted to ask if they had a functioning brain between the lot of them, but she knew that would have just been her anger talking. It would have accomplished nothing, except to make her feel like an ass.

Lani opened her mouth to make a comment, but Simaree cut her off with a loud huff. Where the Hell was Herald Miran? He'd finish breaking up the little gossip session faster than you could say, "Take your seats!"

"Take your seats, class," a soft voice floated in from the now open doorway.

Simaree blinked twice just to make sure she wasn't fantasizing the teacher's late arrival. The short man that entered the room took up a spot at the front of the class and immediately resumed his lecture from the day before. It really was Herald Miran. She was saved for the time being. That would give her time to figure out what she was going to say to Alaen once she managed to corner him and she would. She wasn't about to resume her game of Hide and Seek with him again.

To be continued...


	15. Duo Maxwell, Demon

Date: February 9, 2011

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Ladycrystalite does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Ladycrystalite (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse  
Duo Maxwell, Demon**

Duo's day had gone from long to just plain exhausting. After his discussion with Ayden, he was given a verbal test that resulted in the Dean learning the scope of Duo's intelligence and knowledge. From there Duo was sent down to a basement area to meet the Collegium's housekeeper who gave him **another **test, thankfully shorter this time, to determine his housework abilities and was then assigned various chores.

When he was finished there it was late afternoon and he was due to report to Armsmaster Tehlin for an assessment of his fighting and self-defense skills. That little jaunt lasted for more than an hour and proved, once again, that Duo's strength still hadn't completely returned. If Tehlin had been a real enemy, Duo wouldn't have made it through the encounter. He barely had the energy to shuffle back across Companion's Field to the main building in time for dinner. At the halfway point he announced that he was done and that he was going to lay down in the grass and sleep for a week. Onette immediately threatened to haul him back by the scruff of his neck if he so much as thought that that might be a good idea considering he'd been bedridden for the last two weeks and clearly still wasn't well. When he protested that he didn't possess a "scruff," she told him that dragging him back by his braid would work just as well. Duo shut up and trudged the final distance to his destination.

So, it was with a lack of enthusiasm and no small amount of fatigue that he looked up from his full dinner plate to discover Keres grinning maniacally down at him.

"I heard something today that you might find either very insulting or very funny."

After his long day, he was three-quarters positive that he didn't want to know what his new friend found so amusing. At his hesitation, Keres' smile grew. Make that four-fifth's certain. Duo held in a sigh. It was dammed unfortunate that Duo had no resistance to that remaining fraction curiosity.

He set down his cup of tea before waving to the empty seat across from him. "I see that you find it very funny."

Keres plopped down into the indicated spot, unsuccessfully trying to school his features into a more sober look. "Sorry," he managed before his near stoicism melted back into only a slightly more sedate smile. "Sorry, but you've been out of the House of Healing for all of two days and you've already got rumors floating around about you."

Okay. That was a record even for him. Normally, it took a good week at a new school for the rumors to start up though he'd admit that circumstances were a bit more extreme in this case. "Rumors?" he prompted when Keres didn't continue.

Keres pointed to his temple and then at Duo. "It seems that everybody has gotten into their heads that you are a demon."

He was about to ask what the word "demon" meant when Onette automatically supplied him with the image of a shadowy creature with pointy gnashing teeth. Holy Hell! That creature wasn't **real **in these parts, was it?

_:It's not something that has been seen in Valdemar for many, **many** years. Not since the time of Herald-Mage Vanyel.:_

Ignoring the fact that he had absolutely no idea who or what the hell Herald-Mage Vanyel was or exactly how long ago he supposedly lived, Duo still didn't find any comfort in Onette's statement. If monsters like that existed in this place, it surely wasn't as peaceful or pure as he first assumed.

Duo deliberately took long sip of tea. It freed up a few seconds so that he could review that new turn of events. Clearly, given Keres' reaction, not **everyone** thought he was a monster, but the rumor had to have started somewhere. Okay, so he **did **apparently appear out of thin air in the middle of the night. That would be creepy enough on its own. He'd be suspicious of something as blatantly odd as that. He wouldn't feel the need to label the intruder a demon, but he'd keep a vigilant eye on them until he was sure of their motives. Given that no one decided to lynch him at dawn's early light, he could manage the situation. In fact, it eased his guild a little. Everyone he'd met up until this point seemed so trusting, he'd begun to think them naive. This was better.

This is what more he was accustomed to.

He managed a grin that felt forced only because he was so very tired. "Duo Maxwell, Demon. I can live with that."

* * *

A/N (additional): I'm so very sorry about the long wait. I suck at updating. I know this. I _will _try to do better. Writer's block, work, the crappy public transit in my area and the dammed addictive games on Facebook are just kicking my ass two ways to Sunday. Sorry. Sorry. So sorry.


	16. Distractions

Date: April 17, 2011

Disclaimer: As far as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing goes: Bandai has rights. Sunrise has rights. Sotsu Agency has rights. Rally does not have rights; she just likes to play with the characters. It's so much fun. As far as the world of Valdemar and Velgarth go: Mercedes Lackey has rights. DAW books have rights. Rally (again) does not have rights; she just loves dropping confused bishies in and waiting to see how long it'll take them to swim. (Again) it's just so much fun!

A/N: "_Italics_" is Duo speaking in Standard. "No italics" mean he's speaking Valdemaren. _:Colons and Italics:_indicate Mindspeech.

**On A Pale Horse  
Distractions**

A resolve, once made, is not always as easy to execute as one would hope or expect. The truth of this statement was becoming more and more apparent as every hideout searched had turned out devoid of one very specific Herald trainee. The afternoon, that gorgeous, wonderful afternoon that was supposed to have been spent riding and relaxing in the sunshine, was in the midst of turning into a cool evening. To put it lightly, Simaree was less than pleased about abandoning her plan for leisure time. Since the end of History, she had made an entire circuit of the collegium grounds. Coming up empty handed, she gave it another go. Looping the grounds, twice, was not her idea of a good time. In fact, it gave her a pinchy feeling in the back of her neck that she was sure would bloom into an impressive headache if she didn't locate her elusive prey soon.

Curse that boy! Alaen, even with his big, blue-eyed, puppy-dog looks, was a slippery little bastard when he chose to be.

As she was unable to locate the boy at any of his usual haunts she decided to try the site of Alaen's last class. When she first entered the salle, Simaree was stopped in her tracks by bodies crowding the doorway. Though entrance was packed with enough lingering students that she was forced to stand on tip toe to try to make out what all the fuss was about, the air was oddly still, tension soaked and almost silent. Actually, the only thing that she could make out was what appeared to be a series of dull smacks. That made sense, as it was a room in which to practice fighting. What she couldn't figure out was, what was so interesting about whoever the hell was fighting that it enthralled more than a dozen people. Her curiosity peaked enough that she momentarily forgot all about her aggravation with her charge and her mission to locate him.

Trying once more, unsuccessfully, to see past the group ahead of her, she mentally cursed males in general and their annoying gift of height. Giving up, she tapped the shoulder of the tallest onlooker within reach, assuming that he'd have the best view.

"What?" the Bardic student dropped back in a whisper, without otherwise acknowledging her presence.

"What's going on?" A few seconds passed by but there was no response. Simaree bit back her irritation and gave him two more solid taps.

"Oh, sorry." This time he deigned to face his inquisitor. It was a boy she'd seen around but had never actually met. The only thing she did know was that his name was Thaddeus. "A new kid's sparring with Master Tehlin," he began and then broke out into a beaming smile, "And he's **good**."

A new kid? "Duo?"

He shrugged. "Don't know his name," he replied before abruptly slapping his forehead. "Where are my manners? Here." The "here" was emphasized by a hand clamping onto Simaree's wrist and the she found herself being guided ahead of the wall of bodies. "That him?"

Simaree focused on the match before her. It was Duo, alright. "Yeah," she breathed back taking in the details. The combatants faced off without weapons of any sort, the master's snowy uniform in stark contrast to Duo's pitch outfit. As the two broke apart for a second of reprieve, studying one another intently, the moment slowed, the scene seeming like it should have been some sort of overly dramatic symbolism. Light versus Dark. Good versus Evil and all that. Words from the previous day came back in a rush. "Where I come from, _Shinigami_ is the king of Death. My name is Duo Maxwell but my name is _Shinigami_also." Life versus Death?

She blinked hard. Time resumed and it only took a few seconds to notice that Thaddeus was right. Duo **was **good. He was fast and agile enough to dodge most of the Armsmaster's attacks. As for the hits that were connecting, Duo almost always managed to redirect them, guiding the blow to either send the hit wide or as a means of trying to throw off Tehlin's balance. It was really quite brilliant especially considering that he'd only been out of bed for two full days and he was still on the mend. But even now, she could see the exertion beginning to wear him down. His breathing increased and he started to react just a bit slower. It was enough for Tehlin to get the upper hand. The master redoubled his efforts, pressing his exhausted opponent back step after step until he, quite suddenly, called a halt. The figures parted, Tehlin nodding and Duo bending in an odd sort of half bow in which his eyes never strayed from the master.

"Good," Tehlin declared with another nod. "Tomorrow we see how proficient you are with a blade. Now, go, cool down and get some supper." Duo gave that funny bow again, swiped at his sweaty brow with a sleeve and proceeded to make his obligatory laps of the salle as instructed.

Simaree gawked at the Armsmaster. She was positive that Tehlin had never so much as thought about uttering the word, "Good," to any student he'd had for less than a year. And while she'd admit that at her current skill set she would be capable of keeping herself alive in most situations, she'd never earned a single "good" from the master. Awed tones rose up as similar observations were quietly voiced by her previously silent comrades.

Master Tehlin turned to his engrossed audience. "Since you are all still here, I assume that you wish to practice some more. Pair up and let me see if any of you learned anything while your mouths were gaping like fish."

Thanks to Thaddeus' earlier assistance, Simaree was front and center and could in no way have slipped out unnoticed or talked herself out of the extra lesson. It wasn't his fault as he was just trying to be helpful, but her irritation demanded someone to blame for putting off her search for Alaen, yet again. She would have fumed at the Bardic trainee through the entire hour long session if she hadn't been paired up with him and discovered that the guy had skills of his own. His height made him appear gangly, but he struck like a viper, quick and vicious. She had to focus everything she had to simply avoid his strikes. Her brain was so full of a mantra of, "dodge, dodge, dodge," that she dodged an anticipated blow that never occurred before her thoughts cleared enough to notice that Thaddeus had both hands up and a smirk on his lips. Clearly he was enjoying having the upper hand. Her eyes narrowed.

"Look," he began quickly, allowing the smirk to fade, "We're supposed to be practicing what we observed." Simaree allowed her glare to morph into a state of annoyed inquiry but held her stance in a guard. "I'm not trying to make you mad. I keep setting you up to do one of those moves he made where he deflected the punch, but you just keep ducking out of the way."

His tone was completely sincere. He was taking the lesson seriously. She should have been, as well. Simaree blew out a tension filled breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding and finally lowered her guard. "I'm sorry," she apologized earnestly. "I've just had a very stressful day and getting stuck here isn't helping it to get any better. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

He smiled and waved her off. "That's alright. Master Tehlin's just proving a point. He won't keep us here too much longer. So, how about we try this: You be the attacker and I'll defend. I'm only going to defend, so give it all you've got and don't worry about a counter-attack. I've got to figure out how he did some of those moves." Simaree's lips curled into a slight smile, she nodded and then let her fists fly.

* * *

Simaree made it back to Heraldic with just enough time to grab a quick wash before heading down to dinner. She popped into the kitchen for a moment to catch Alaen at his evening chore but was immediately shooed out after being informed by Cook that the boy hadn't shown up. Simaree gave in to a sigh. "Slippery little bastard," she mumbled, heading off to her evening meal.

To be continued...


End file.
